A Blacksmith's Rose
by brunette-lady23
Summary: After moving to Port Royal, Rosalie meets a certain blacksmith who offers to help her when she finds out she is in danger. Will/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**Author's Note:** Hi all! Well this is my very first fan fiction ever! So be nice, please! I would really appreciate any comments you have so please review. Anyway…this is the first chapter! I hope you like it!

**Chapter One**

Rosalie sat quietly as her maid twisted her hair into an elaborate up-do. She clasped her hands in her lap and stared silently out of the window across the room. The window showed a wonderful view of the ocean. She loved the view and often mused that she'd be quite happy to sit and look at it all day.

"There you go," said the maid, standing back and admiring her work. "You are ready now, Miss Rosalie."

"Thank you, Emily," said Rosalie, standing up. She smoothed down her dress and turned to face the other woman.

"You're welcome," replied Emily, handing her a parasol. "And make sure you use this. It's very warm today and you will be spending a lot of time in the sun."

"I will," said Rosalie, smiling. "You are free to go now."

"Thank you, miss. I hope you have a nice day," said Emily and she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Rosalie walked over to the window and stared out at the scenery, turning around when she heard a knock at the door. Rosalie called out permission and the door opened and her brother came in.

"Are you ready?" he asked her.

"I suppose so," she said, as she walked towards him. "I must admit though, I don't see why I must attend this celebration or whatever it is."

"It is an excellent chance for you to meet people as you very well know," replied her brother with a stern look.

"But I won't be able to talk to anyone. They will all be stuffy rich people who will look down their nose at me," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

Her brother offered her his arm. "No, they won't be. You will enjoy yourself, I promise," he said with a reassuring smile.

"I'll hold you to that, Andrew," said Rosalie, grinning.

Andrew laughed and led her over to the door. They walked out into the hall and were just heading for the stairs when Henry the butler appeared.

"Mr. Middleton, you have a visitor," he said, stiffly.

"Thank you, Henry," said Andrew and the butler left them.

"I'll only be a few minutes. You don't mind waiting, do you?" asked Andrew, turning to his sister.

Rosalie shook her head and removed her arm from his. "No, of course I don't. I've forgotten my parasol anyway. I'll meet you downstairs," she said.

Andrew nodded and then went downstairs. Rosalie returned to her room and retrieved the parasol from where she had left it on the bed, before making her way downstairs too. She found her brother in the entrance hall, talking to a young man who was holding a long thin box in his hands. They were both smiling and discussing something quietly.

Andrew glanced her way and held out a hand, beckoning her over. She walked over slowly, blindly taking her brother's hand as her eyes stayed locked on their visitor.

The young man had turned to look at her too and their eyes had locked instantly. She immediately knew she had never met a man before with eyes as beautiful as this man.

"Rosalie, this is William Turner. He's very kindly just delivered my new sword. Mr. Turner, let me introduce you to my sister," said Andrew.

"Mr. Turner, it's a pleasure to meet you," said Rosalie, holding out her hand with a smile.

Mr. Turner took her hand and without breaking eye-contact with her once, kissed it. "Likewise, Miss Middleton," he said, smiling.

Rosalie tried to ignore the tingling sensation that had travelled up her arm at the feel of his lips on her skin and looked up at him. "So, you are a blacksmith?" she asked, interestedly.

This man was very easy on the eye with his brown eyes and dark hair that was currently tied back from his face. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome.

"Actually, technically, I'm his assistant," said Mr. Turner, reddening ever so slightly.

"Mr. Turner works for a Mr. Brown," explained her brother.

"Oh, I see," said Rosalie softly.

"Well Mr. Turner, you must excuse us but we must really be going now," said Andrew, realising that time was getting on.

"Of course," said Mr. Turner at once. He handed Andrew the long thin box and said, "I hope the sword meets your satisfaction, sir."

"I'm sure it will," said Andrew with a smile. "Please pass on my thanks to your master."

An odd expression flittered across Mr. Turners face but it was gone as quick as it had appeared. "I will," he said, nodding. He turned to Rosalie. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Middleton."

Rosalie smiled and nodded her head. "Perhaps I will see you around, Mr. Turner."

"Yes, perhaps," he replied with a smile.

Rosalie decided she very much liked his voice. It was deep and smooth and suited him immensely.

"Good day," said Mr. Turner to her brother and with one last smile, he turned and left the house.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie fanned herself as she stood next to her brother, listening to him talk to a man about some ship they had commandeered a while back. Business talk was boring and she had long since stopped listening to the conversation. Instead her mind had drifted to thoughts about the last week. She had just moved to the Caribbean from London to live with her brother. Their mother had died when she was ten and their father had just passed away so Andrew was all she had left. He had very kindly asked her to come and live with him and his wife in Port Royal where Andrew was a Lieutenant. She had arrived three days ago and her brother had welcomed her with open arms. She had yet to meet her new sister-in-law but Andrew had told her his wife was really looking forward to meeting her.

"Rosalie?" said her brother loudly.

Rosalie quickly shook herself from her thoughts and turned to look at her brother. "Sorry?" she said.

Andrew gave her a disapproving look. "Lieutenant Wexley has just asked you how you like Port Royal."

Rosalie felt herself blush and quickly turned her attention to the man beside her brother. "I like what I have seen so far. I am sure I will enjoy my life here very much."

Lieutenant Wexley smiled and said, "I'm sure you will. I could show you around a bit if you like? I'm sure your brother hasn't been able to show you around all of Port Royal yet."

"No. He hasn't," replied Rosalie.

"Well I offer my services then," said Wexley.

"That is very nice of you," smiled Rosalie. "Thank you."

Lieutenant Wexley smiled and nodded his head in reply.

**xxxxxx**

Will Turner lifted the door latch and left the shop. He closed the door behind him and then set off down the street. He liked to take a walk in the early evening. His mind was always very full these days and the fresh sea air helped to clear his head.

Over a year had passed since Elizabeth Swann had called off their engagement and he still felt as if he was hurting. That woman had been his life. He would have died for her and she had repaid him by breaking his heart.

_Flashback_

"_Will, we need to talk," said Elizabeth._

"_Okay. Is it about the wedding?" asked Will, walking over to her and going to take her hand. But to his astonishment she turned and moved away, going to stand in front of the window._

"_Yes. I suppose it is," she said, quietly._

_Will frowned. "Elizabeth, is something wrong?"_

_Elizabeth turned and slowly walked over to him. He was shocked to see tears glistening in her large brown eyes. "Will, I need to tell you something."_

_Will nodded. "Go on then," he said. His throat had suddenly gone very dry. _

"_Will, I'm sorry but I can't marry you," said Elizabeth._

_Will's heart stopped and then started again, beating madly in his chest. "What did you just say?" he managed to croak out._

_Elizabeth looked up at him and stared into his eyes. "Will, I can't marry you. It would never work," she said, quietly. _

"_What?" asked Will. "Of course, it would!"_

"_No Will," said Elizabeth. "It wouldn't work. We've been fooling ourselves that it would."_

"_But-" said Will, desperately trying to come up with something to say to get her to realise what she was saying was madness. _

"_Listen to me," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly between her own. "I've realised I can't disappoint my father."_

_Will roughly pulled his hand from her grasp. "So you've decided I'm not good enough for you now." _

"_No!" exclaimed Elizabeth. "That's not it! You're a wonderful man, Will. You really are. But I can't marry you."_

"_Why can't you?" asked Will, as a tear fell unhindered down his cheek. _

"_I must do what is right," she answered._

"_If it's just because of your father, we can work through it together. You know we can," said Will. He stepped forward and holding her chin, forced her to look into his eyes. "If we love each other, then that shouldn't matter."_

_Tears began to flow down Elizabeth's cheeks as she looked into Will's eyes. She broke free from his grasp and turned away. "You're right. It wouldn't matter if we truly loved each other," she replied._

"_Then why are you saying this," said Will. "I love you, you know I do. And you love me, don't you?" Elizabeth didn't say anything. "You do, don't you?"_

_Elizabeth closed her eyes and slowly turned around to look into Will's love-filled eyes. "Of course I love you," she whispered. But before he could say anything else, she carried on. "But I don't think that's enough anymore."_

"_I don't understand," said Will, looking confused._

_Elizabeth reached for his hand again and looked up into his eyes. "You mean so much to me, Will. I can't tell you how much you do. And yes, I do love you but…I'm not _in_ love with you."_

_It felt as if his heart was breaking. She wasn't in love with him anymore. In fact he didn't know if she ever really was. _

"_We were never meant to be together Will," said Elizabeth softly, letting go of his hand. "I know that now. There's someone out there who really deserves your love and will return it."_

_Will stood there silently, letting what she had said sink in. "But that someone isn't you," he said finally._

"_Yes," she said. "I'm sorry, Will."_

"_Me too," he said, brokenly. "Goodbye Elizabeth."_

"_Goodbye Will," she said and with that he walked out, leaving the only woman he thought he could and would ever love behind. _

_End of Flashback_

Will pushed the memory aside, refusing to succumb to the onslaught of tears that still threatened to overcome him at the memory of that night and instead tried to concentrate his thoughts on what had happened that day.

He had been very surprised to meet Lieutenant Middleton's sister. He was sure he had never seen her or even heard of her existence before and he was quite sure if he had he would have remembered.

Will turned off the main street and thought that it was very unlikely that he would see her again anyway. To his surprise that thought saddened him greatly.

**A/N: **Well there it is! Please Review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anyone else you do not recognise.

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Here is chapter two! And to avoid any confusion, in this story DMC has never happened. Thank you very much for the reviews. I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Two**

Rosalie stifled a yawn as she tried to listen to the conversation going on around her. But she couldn't seem to concentrate, no matter how hard she tried. Her thoughts kept drifting off on to other subjects, mainly how she would love to be back home and not stood there in the stifling heat.

She lightly placed her hand on her brother's arm, letting him know that she wanted to speak and Andrew broke off what he was saying and looked down at her.

"I'm just going to get some water," she told him.

Andrew nodded and she slid away from her brother and wandered through the crowd, sighing with relief when she eventually made her way out of it. She walked off down a side street, wanting to find somewhere a bit quieter. She breathed a sigh of relief when she got far enough away that she couldn't hear any of the noise coming from the fort.

She had never liked attending large social gatherings. It was all the standing around and making small talk that she disliked. She had found it even more tiresome today since she knew no one except her brother. She knew Andrew had tried hard to include her but she had still felt rather left out.

Suddenly she realised she had wandered further than she had intended. She looked around and bit her lip nervously as she realised she didn't recognise where she was at all.

Rosalie cussed quietly and told herself she must learn not to let her mind wander so freely, especially if she didn't keep an eye on where she was walking at the same time. Now what was she going to do?

She had just decided to turn back and try and retrace her steps when a deep voice spoke from behind her. "Well hello. Are you lost pretty lady?"

Rosalie spun around and saw a tall man leaning against a wall. He looked dirty and his hair was matted and she couldn't help but recoil slightly when he started to come closer.

Rosalie stood up straighter and pulled herself together. "Actually I am. Could you please tell me which way is the fort?"

"But that's no fun," said the man, slurring his speech. "We don't get your sort down here much."

Rosalie stepped backwards as the man looked her up and down. She didn't like the way this man was looking at her and she suddenly wanted to get away as fast as possible.

"I need to be going," she said, turning and going to walk away. But she didn't get far because the man grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him.

"Going so soon?" he asked with a smirk. Rosalie shuddered as he leered at her and she tried to pull her wrist free. The man was too strong though and he merely chuckled at her fruitless attempts to free herself.

"Oh come on sweetheart," he said, leaning closer to her. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Rosalie began to struggle harder as she realised what he was going to try to do. "Let me go," she said fiercely.

The man chuckled and grabbed her other arm, pulling her nearer. "You're quite feisty aren't you?"

Rosalie's heart was beating fast in her chest and she felt fear take hold of her as she realised that she wasn't going to be able to get away easily. She again tried to pull her wrists free but it was hopeless. Remembering suddenly what she was carrying, she brought her parasol up and swung it at the man's face. He groaned and let her go as he covered his face with his hands. Rosalie quickly tried to run but to her horror she felt the man grab her from behind and pull her back.

"You're not going to get away that easily," he growled in her ear.

Rosalie trembled and looked up at the man fearfully. "Please let me go," she pleaded.

The man merely laughed. "No."

"I think the lady asked you to let her go," said a somewhat familiar voice.

Rosalie turned and to her utter relief saw Will Turner standing there with a furious expression on his face.

"What's it got to do with you?" asked her captor as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Rosalie paled as she felt the man tighten his hold on her and she shuddered again as she felt his smelly breath against her cheek. Will's frown deepened at this and he stepped forward.

"Let the lady go," he repeated slowly.

"_No_," said the man, laughing.

Will marched forward and punched him hard in the face. The man wheeled back in surprise and released his hold on Rosalie. Will took this opportunity to pull her into his arms. She let him hold her, leaning into his chest as he slipped an arm around her waist to stop her falling to the ground.

"Get out of my sight," growled Will, glaring at the drunk on the floor. The man just glared back and sauntered off. Once the man had vanished from sight, Will turned to the young woman in his arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He had recognised Rosalie Middleton instantly, though her appearance was quite different from what it had been when he had met her earlier. Her long brown hair was starting to fall out of the elaborate twist it had been fixed in when he had met her at her house, her cheeks were flushed red and her deep blue eyes were shimmering with tears. The dress she was wearing looked rather worse far wear and she was visibly shaking.

Rosalie looked up into Will's expressive brown eyes. He looked worried and she had to stop herself from leaning further into him as his arm tightened around her.

"Yes. I'm alright," she said with a nod. "Thank you ever so much Mr. Turner."

Will smiled but then his expression became serious. "What are you doing, wandering around on your own? It is nearly dark and this is no place for a lady."

"I was with my brother at a party at the fort. I have to admit I got a bit bored and wandered off," she answered, truthfully.

"I see," said Will with a grin, before becoming serious once again. "I'm sure your brother will be wondering where you are then."

"Oh no, I had better get back!" she said, realising her brother would probably be worrying about her.

"I'll walk with you," said Will, quickly. "I want to see that you get back to your brother safely."

Rosalie blushed and gave him a smile. "That would be very kind of you. I'm very grateful for your help Mr. Turner."

"It's my pleasure," replied Will as his heart missed a beat. She had a beautiful smile and he was finding it increasingly difficult not to stare at her mouth. He quickly pulled himself together and held out his arm. Rosalie smiled and took it, slipping her arm through his.

"Have you just moved to Port Royal? I have visited your brother's house many times and I can't remember ever seeing you there before," said Will as they walked.

"I used to live in London up until a week ago, with my father. Then when my father died, my brother offered me a home here," replied Rosalie.

"Oh I'm sorry," said Will, turning to look at her.

"It's alright," she said, with a smile. "I do miss him terribly though. We were very close. Do you get on well with your parents?"

Will shook his head and looked down. "My mother died when I was very young and I haven't seen my father for years. I now know he is dead too."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. That was insensitive," said Rosalie, feeling awful. "I should have thought before asking such a question."

"No it wasn't insensitive. How were you to know?" said Will, softly.

Rosalie nodded but still felt terrible for bringing up the subject. It was clear to her that it was an upsetting subject for Will.

"Here we are," announced Will as they reached the fort. "Is this where you were before?"

"Yes," answered Rosalie, nodding. She looked around and saw Andrew looking around, obviously searching for something. He looked in their direction, saw her and hurried over.

"Rosalie! I've been so worried," said Andrew, taking his sisters hand. "Where did you go? You said you were going to get something to drink but then I couldn't find you anywhere."

"I'm sorry, Andrew," said Rosalie, feeling guilty. "I just wanted to get away from the noise for a bit. I admit I wandered too far and didn't know where I was. But luckily Mr. Turner here found me and offered to walk me back."

Andrew turned to Will and smiled at him. "That was very kind of you Turner. I am very grateful."

"I'm glad I could help," replied Will.

At that moment Lieutenant Wexley came running up. "Miss Middleton, there you are!"

"She wandered off," said Andrew with a sigh. "Mr. Turner has just brought her back."

Lieutenant Wexley glanced at Will and then turned his attention back to Rosalie. "I'm glad for your safe return," he told her.

"Lieutenant Wexley, why don't you take my sister to get a drink? I'm sure she is tired and would appreciate a sit-down," suggested Andrew.

"Of course," said Wexley, offering Rosalie his arm.

Rosalie took it and then turned to face Will. "Thank you very much for coming to my rescue Mr. Turner."

"Again, it was my pleasure," said Will giving her a smile.

"Good night then, Mr. Turner," she said, returning his smile.

"Good night Miss Middleton," said Will, watching as she walked away with Wexley. He frowned slightly when Wexley placed a hand on Rosalie's back as if to steer her away quicker.

"I must tell you how glad I am that you found my sister, Turner," said Andrew.

Will turned back to face Andrew and nodded. "I am pleased too. I am afraid she may have been harmed if I had not arrived when I did."

"What do you mean?" asked Andrew, looking worried.

"She had wandered into a not very nice area of town and a drunk accosted her on the street," explained Will.

"Then I am even more grateful that you found her," said Andrew, looking relieved.

"I am glad she is safe," said Will, nodding. He was very glad indeed that Rosalie was safe. He had wanted to kill that drunk back there for touching and scaring the young woman like he had. He hadn't felt that protective over anyone since Elizabeth and that thought alone scared him. Will quickly pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind, not wanting to think about these new feelings any longer. "I must be going now. I'm sure you want to go and look after your sister. Good night."

"Good night Turner," replied Andrew with a nod.

Will turned and walked away, resolving to try and stay away from Rosalie Middleton. He couldn't allow himself to become too attached to that woman. But as he headed back home, he started to worry that it may already be too late.

**A/N: **I hoped you liked it. Please review! I would appreciate any comments you have!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**A/N:** Hey folks! Here is chapter three. I'm really enjoying writing this story so I hope you're enjoying reading it. A huge thank you to my reviewers! I really appreciate the kind comments. I hope you like this chapter too!

**Chapter Three**

As soon as they got home, Andrew took Rosalie up to her bedroom and asked Emily to help her get ready for bed. "I want you to go straight to bed, Rosalie. You must be exhausted."

"I am," she agreed. "But I'm fine Andrew. You don't have to worry about me so much."

"I will never stop worrying about my little sister," said Andrew, leaning over and kissing her forehead. "Goodnight Rosalie."

"Goodnight," she replied, smiling at her brother. She watched as Andrew returned her smile and then turned and left.

"Your brother is right," commented Emily, as she began to un-lace the back of Rosalie's dress. "You have had quite a day, Miss Rosalie."

"I suppose I have," said Rosalie. "I must admit that I did get scared when that drunk approached me."

"That's only natural, I'm sure," said Emily, soothingly. "But I hear Mr. Turner saw him off for you. That was very kind of him, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," said Rosalie, with a nod. She found herself smiling at the thought of Will Turner.

"You are very lucky. It's not every day you get to be rescued by a handsome blacksmith," teased Emily, as she finished un-lacing the dress.

Rosalie turned and gave her a stern look. "I don't think that is an appropriate thing to say."

"But you do admit Mr. Turner is handsome?" prodded Emily, smiling cheekily.

Rosalie blushed and quickly turned around, so Emily wouldn't see her red cheeks. "I haven't really noticed," she lied.

"You would have to be dead, not to notice that man," said Emily matter-of-factly.

"Emily!" exclaimed Rosalie, turning around. "Now that is definitely not appropriate."

"Sorry miss," said Emily, as she and Rosalie tried not to burst out laughing.

Rosalie gave the other woman a small smile and then sat down on a stool so Emily could un-pin her hair.

Suddenly there came a knock at the door and Rosalie turned in her seat to see who it was. "Come in!" she called. The door opened and a young woman with light brown hair came in. She crossed the room and took Rosalie's hands pulling her to her feet.

"Let me look at you…" she said, studying her face before breaking into a big smile. "Yes. You are exactly how your brother described you – his little blue eyed sister."

At that moment Andrew entered the room. "Charlotte, I thought I told you to wait until morning. Rosalie needs her rest," he said, frowning at the young woman.

Charlotte waved her hand dismissively. "I'm sorry Andrew but I couldn't wait till then. You have talked so much about Rosalie and I'm afraid I got inpatient."

Andrew chuckled and walked over, taking Charlotte's hand and kissing it softly. "I should have known you wouldn't be able to wait."

"You know me too well Andrew," answered Charlotte as she smiled sheepishly up at him.

Rosalie watched the two of them and could see that they were very much in love. Her heart gave a pang at this. She would give anything to experience that type of love herself. But she doubted that would ever happen. _I don't need a man anyway, _she chastised herself. _I'm fine as I am._

Rosalie quickly cleared her head of all thoughts about love and smiled as her brother turned to look at her.

"Rosalie, this is my wife Charlotte. She's just got back from her trip and couldn't _possibly _wait till morning to introduce herself," said Andrew.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Rosalie, smiling warmly at the older woman.

Charlotte smiled back and once again reached out to clutch Rosalie's hands in hers. "It's lovely to finally meet you too."

"Come on now, Charlotte," insisted Andrew. "We should let Rosalie get to bed."

"Oh, of course," said Charlotte. "Andrew told me all about the incident this evening. Are you quite sure you are alright Rosalie?"

"I am," replied Rosalie, with a nod.

"If you're sure?" said Charlotte, still looking worried.

"I am," repeated Rosalie, smiling.

"Alright. Good night then," said Charlotte.

"Goodnight," answered Rosalie and she watched as her brother and his wife left the room. Then Rosalie turned around and Emily went back to un-pinning her hair.

**xxxxxx**

The next morning Rosalie sat down to have breakfast with Andrew and Charlotte.

"What would you like to do today?" Charlotte asked Rosalie as she buttered a piece of toast.

"Well…" said Rosalie, putting down her own toast, "I was thinking of going to the blacksmiths and thanking Mr. Turner for helping me yesterday."

Andrew glanced at Charlotte and then turned back to his sister. "I don't think that's necessary."

"I don't mind going. In fact I want to go. It's the least I can do after what he did for me," said Rosalie.

"I thanked him for you yesterday," said Andrew, quickly. "So there's no need for you to feel bad."

Rosalie frowned, slightly surprised at her brothers words. Why did he seem to be so against her going to see Will Turner? "I want to-"

"I'm sorry Rosalie. But my answer is no," said Andrew firmly. "Understood?"

Rosalie closed her mouth and slumped back into her chair dejectedly. "Yes."

"We can go down into town though. We could even have a bit of lunch," said Charlotte, obviously trying to change the subject.

"That sounds lovely," said Rosalie, quietly.

"Good," said Charlotte, smiling. "That's sorted then."

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie was wandering through the quaint streets of Port Royal, examining the goods on sale in the shop windows. They'd had a very enjoyable lunch, during which Charlotte had informed her of the nicest shops in the town and now she was enjoying wandering around. She had managed to convince Andrew that she would be quite alright on her own and had wandered ahead a bit, leaving Andrew and Charlotte studying a necklace in a jeweller's window.

Rosalie ducked into one of the side streets and wandered down it, looking at the smaller shops that were down there. She gasped as she found herself outside Brown's Smithy. She looked around, wondering if she should go in. She still very much wanted to thank Mr. Turner for his help but she didn't want to disobey her brother either. Deciding that it would only be polite of her to thank Mr. Turner herself, she walked up to the door.

She quickly looked around, checking to see that Andrew wasn't lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on her the moment she disobeyed his orders. Seeing that the street was deserted she raised a hand and knocked sharply on the door. She didn't hear an answer so she pushed the door open and went inside. She shut the door behind her and looked around the shop. She couldn't see anyone around so she looked around at the swords hanging from the beams in the roof.

"_Wow!" _she thought aloud. She had never seen so many beautiful swords in her life.

"Can I help you?" asked a deep voice.

Rosalie spun around and found a sweaty and dirty but still un-deniably handsome Will Turner standing behind her.

"Miss Middleton?" he said, looking surprised. "W-What do I owe the pleasure for you visiting me here?"

Rosalie, who was still reeling from the effect of seeing him in such a dishevelled state, quickly tried to think of something to say. She found it strange that this man could make a tingle go down her spine, whilst looking rather mucky. "Err…well…" she stuttered, speechless. Will just looked at her and smiled. She swallowed and tried again. "I have come to thank you properly for your assistance yesterday. It was ever so kind of you and I was hoping there was something I could do to repay you."

"Oh well, you visiting me is repayment enough," said Will, before he could stop himself. He was delighted when she blushed.

"Err…" said Rosalie, trying to think of something to say. She gestured around at all the swords. "Do you make all these?"

"Yes…I do," said Will, nodding.

"They're beautiful," she said, looking around again.

"Thank you," said Will. He watched as she walked around the shop, looking at the swords closely. She crossed to a table and looked at a sword that he had been working on that day. The handle on this one was truly beautiful with an intricate pattern engraved into it.

"Wow…" she breathed. "These must take forever to make, Mr. Turner."

"It can seem like that," laughed Will, walking over to stand next to her. "But all the hard work is worth it when you see the finished sword."

"I can imagine," said Rosalie, still staring intently at the weapon. She turned to Will and looked up at him. "Can I hold it, please?" she asked hopefully.

Will stared at her, slightly surprised. This woman was quite surprising. She didn't seem the type to want to hold a sword. In fact, she seemed the type to shriek and stamp her feet if she broke a nail. "Yes, of course," he said finally. He turned around and walked over to another bench. "But try this one first. It is a lighter and will be easier for you to grasp." He picked up a smaller, simpler sword and held it out to Rosalie.

Rosalie took it from him and gasped as she nearly dropped it. She tightened her hold on the handle of the sword and looked up at the blacksmith. "This one is lighter, you say? Well I would hate to know how heavy the others are."

"You get used to it," said Will, chuckling.

Rosalie looked back at the sword in her hands and tried to lift it. She couldn't raise it much higher than waist height. She scowled and tightening her hold, tried again. This time she managed to raise it a little higher. She smiled with delight and swung the sword around a little but the weight of the sword threw her off balance and she stumbled. Luckily before she could fall she was caught by a pair of strong arms.

"Whoops!" said Will. "Be careful there."

Rosalie blushed and straightened up, looking up into Will's warm brown eyes. "Sorry," she said, feeling embarrassed.

Will merely gave her a smile. He moved to stand behind her and placed his hands on top of hers, moving her hands further apart on the handle. "You may find it easier if you place your hands further apart," he suggested softly.

Rosalie ignored the warmth that had spread through her body at having him so close and lifted the sword up slightly. "You're right!" she exclaimed, turning around to smile at Will.

**A/N: **Well there it is! I hope you liked it. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**A/N: **Hey! Here is chapter four! A massive big thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I am pleased you are all enjoying my story so far. Your kind comments mean a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

**Chapter Four**

_Rosalie ignored the warmth that had spread through her body at having him so close and lifted the sword up slightly. "You're right!" she exclaimed, turning around to smile at Will._

Rosalie blushed as Will gave her a crooked grin. She quickly passed the sword back to him. "Here. You can have this back now."

Will grinned and took the sword from her, placing it back down on the table before turning back to look at Rosalie. They stared at each other silently for a minute or so, neither of them really knowing what to say.

This is awkward, thought Rosalie. Now that she had said thank you, she didn't really have a reason to be there. "I-I should get going. I told my brother I wouldn't wander far and he's probably wondering where I've walked off to."

"Yes, of course," said Will, ignoring the disappointment that had swelled up inside him because she was leaving already.

Rosalie nodded and turned to go before turning back again. "It was nice to see you again, Mr. Turner."

Will smiled. "It was nice to see you again also."

Rosalie smiled back and then headed for the door, stopping when she reached it. "I hope to see you again soon. Good day, Mr. Turner."

"Good day," replied Will with a nod and a smile.

Rosalie gave him one last smile and then left the shop, leaving Will staring after her.

After a moment he turned and went back to his work bench, meaning to carry on working but he found he couldn't concentrate. His mind kept drifting back to Rosalie Middleton. It had surprised him that she had come to see him - even more so that she had been on her own. But he had to admit it was a nice surprise.

The more time he spent with that woman, the more he came to realise he very much enjoyed her company. In fact he was now wondering when he would next see her. He shook his head when he remembered his decision to stay away from Miss Middleton. That was definitely out of the question now because he was already missing her presence and she had only just left his sight. He couldn't deny that he hoped to see her again very soon.

These thoughts were confusing, as he had only just met the woman and already he was feeling this way. Was it natural to feel this way so quickly? Of course it was he tried to convince himself. Rosalie Middleton was just a very nice person and it would be most pleasant if they could become friends.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie left the smithy and hurried back on to the main street, looking around for her brother as she went. She hoped he hadn't been looking for her, as she wasn't sure she could lie about where she had been. She felt bad enough as it was, for disobeying her brother's orders like she had. She was sure her brother was only looking out for her and that he must have a good reason for not wanting her to pay Mr. Turner a visit. She had no idea what this reason could be, but she was sure there must be one. Perhaps she would ask Andrew about it, when she had a chance.

"Rosalie!" called a voice from behind her. Rosalie turned and smiled as she saw Charlotte coming towards her with Andrew following close behind. "I wondered where you had gone. Are you enjoying yourself? Have you seen anything nice that you'd like to buy?"

Rosalie smiled at her sister-in-law and nodded her head. "I am enjoying myself thank you, but I haven't seen anything I'd like to purchase." She winced slightly as she said this, thinking the truth was she hadn't even looked.

"Surely there is something you would like," said Charlotte smiling widely. "Andrew and I want to buy you something as a welcome gift. Come, let's see if we can get you a new gown."

Rosalie glanced at her brother to see him roll his eyes and shake his head. "I'm afraid my wife won't let us return home until you buy something."

Rosalie laughed. "Well, let's get going then. I did see a rather nice gown in a shop window up the road there."

"Come on then," said Charlotte, looping her arm through Rosalie's and practically dragging her up the street. "We can not dawdle or all the shops will be closed."

**xxxxxx**

"Are you sure this looks alright?" asked Rosalie, turning around and looking at her reflection doubtfully.

"You look wonderful Rosalie," said Charlotte, admiring the young woman with a smile.

Once they had found a dress shop, Charlotte had wasted no time in leading Rosalie around the shop and helping her to pick out some gowns to try on. They were now in the fitting room and Rosalie was trying on a pale pink gown.

Rosalie turned away from the mirror and faced her sister-in-law nervously. "It is very revealing, don't you think?" she said, gesturing at the neckline.

Charlotte laughed causing Rosalie to blush some more. "This gown is quite low I admit but you do look lovely in it."

"I don't know about lovely," said Rosalie, turning around to face the mirror once more. "I don't think _lovely _is quite the word that comes to mind."

"I've seen lower cut dresses than this," said Charlotte. "And they were quite respectable."

"I'm sure they were," said Rosalie, quickly. "It's just…I would…well I would prefer something not quite so low."

Charlotte laughed again and nodded understandably. "I'll go look for another one then. I'm sure the perfect gown is here somewhere."

Rosalie smiled gratefully and Charlotte turned and left. A few minutes later she returned with a huge smile on her face.

"I think I have found the perfect dress for you," she said, before holding out a cream gown.

Rosalie stepped forward and took the dress from Charlotte's arms. It was made from a soft silky material and had a lacy skirt. She stared at it for a bit before turning to Charlotte. "It _is_ beautiful," she said, smiling.

"Try it on then," said Charlotte.

Rosalie grinned back and then turned so Charlotte could undo the back of the pink gown. Once that was done, she stepped out of it and into the new one. Charlotte laced the back up for her and then steered her towards the mirror.

Rosalie looked at herself in the mirror and had to admit she thought she looked pretty in it. This gown's neckline wasn't quite as low as the first but it was still lower than anything she had worn before.

She turned to face Charlotte and the other woman smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Oh you do look a picture Rosalie," she exclaimed. "I'm sure all the men in Port Royal will stop dead in their tracks once they see you in this."

Rosalie paled and bit her lip again. "You think so?" she asked.

Charlotte laughed at the look on Rosalie's face and put her hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "You don't need to look so worried. You look beautiful. Any man who doesn't turn and look at you when they see you in this must be blind."

"That's what I'm worried about," admitted Rosalie quietly.

"Haven't you worn anything like this before?" asked Charlotte. "Back in London I mean. Surely your parents must have thrown parties where you were required to dress up."

"When I was little, yes. But after my mother died…well I suppose my father didn't feel up to it. We had occasional tea parties but nothing more than that and definitely nothing that required me to dress up like this," said Rosalie.

"What about courting? What happened when your father had young men to call, did you not dress up then?" asked Charlotte, looking surprised.

Rosalie blushed slightly. "I never had anyone call on me. I suppose my father was very protective of me. He didn't think it necessary for me to court anyone and he got ill before it became of any great importance. A woman called Julia Blackstone took me in when my father became ill but she was as protective as my father, if not more."

"Oh," said Charlotte, softly. She didn't say anything for a while but then broke into a smile once again. "Well Rosalie, I'm sure there will be plenty of young men wanting to call on you soon. You look lovely."

Rosalie blushed. She couldn't help but wonder what Will Turner would say if he saw her now. She felt slightly giddy at the thought of the handsome young man seeing her dressed like this. She supposed he never would though. She would look a right sight if she went to visit him, wearing a dress like this one. A part of her felt glad about this because she probably would be too nervous to speak.

She supposed she had lied when saying she had never courted anyone back in London. There had been one man. But it hadn't lasted long. She quickly pushed those memories to the back of her mind. She had promised herself that she'd never to think of them again, so she wasn't about to start now.

"Rosalie?" asked a concerned Charlotte. She had noticed the sad, almost pained expression on her face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," said Rosalie quickly. "I am fine." She forced a smile onto her face and twirled around a bit. "I love the gown, Charlotte."

"I'm glad," said Charlotte. "If you take it off now, I'll give it to Andrew so he can purchase it."

"It looks expensive," said Rosalie. "Are you sure he will not mind?"

"Of course I am," said Charlotte, smiling. "He wants to treat his little sister to something nice and he said it doesn't matter about the price."

Rosalie smiled back and turned so Charlotte could un-lace the back of the gown. When Charlotte left her to give the dress to Andrew, Rosalie pulled her own dress back on. As she waited for Charlotte to return she found her thoughts turning once again to her past.

She had been devastated when her father had gotten ill. They had been ever so close. When he had first become ill, a family friend had moved into their house to help take of him and then after he had died, she and her family had taken Rosalie in. But then Aunt Jules's first grand child was born and her family decided to move so they could be nearer the baby. This of course left Rosalie very much on her own and that is when Andrew had offered her a home in Port Royal. She was ever so grateful as she wasn't sure what would have happened to her, if it wasn't for him.

"Andrew says he thinks you've made a very good choice and that he's looking forward to seeing you in it," said Charlotte, as she came back into the room. Rosalie smiled at this and then Charlotte did up her dress.

Once Rosalie was ready the two women went back into the main room of the shop, and found Andrew waiting.

"I'm having your dress delivered, Rosalie," he told her. "I would hate to drop it on the way home."

"That's a good idea," said Rosalie, approvingly.

"I'm glad you approve," said Andrew. "Now, let's get you two home. I think you both have done enough shopping for one day."

**A/N: **There is Chapter four. I hope you like it and please remember to review!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Here is chapter five! I only had one review for my last chapter, so I hope you still like this story. Thank you **brunette25-08 **for reviewing! I'm glad you are still enjoying this story. Anyway back to chapter 5! Please read and review! I would love to hear what you think. Enjoy!

**Chapter Five**

About a week later, Rosalie, Charlotte and Andrew were having breakfast. They had been sitting in comfortable silence for a few minutes, when Andrew placed his cup back on its saucer and stood up.

"I'll have to be going now," he announced. "I've got to go into town. I've got a very important order to place at the blacksmiths."

At the mention of the blacksmiths Rosalie looked up at her brother with a hopeful expression on her face. "Please could I come too, Andrew?" she asked. "I could thank Mr. Turner then myself for his help." She didn't mention she had already thanked him but she hadn't seen Will since she had visited him in his shop the previous week and she did very much want to see him again.

"I won't be staying there very long, Rosalie," said Andrew. "And I'm sure Mr. Turner will be very busy and I doubt he would appreciate being interrupted."

"But you're going to interrupt him yourself," reasoned Rosalie. "All I want to say is thank you, that won't take up much of his time, will it?"

Andrew glanced at his wife and then turned back to Rosalie. He didn't know what to say. He supposed there wasn't any harm in her accompanying him. She just wanted to say thank you after all. But then again, hadn't he decided to stop Rosalie seeing Turner? He could tell she had grown rather attached to the young man and he didn't want to encourage that too much. "I don't think so, Rosalie," he said eventually. "It will all be business talk and you will be bored silly."

Rosalie's face fell. "I don't mind that. Actually I've always been interested in swords!"

"That's not very appropriate for a lady," said Andrew with a slight frown.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I don't care about being _proper_."

"It's not about being _proper_," said Andrew. "I just don't think its right for you to be interested in swords. Swords are dangerous weapons and they are not to be messed with."

"I _know _that," said Rosalie.

"Then you will understand why I think you should stay here," said Andrew, firmly.

Rosalie went to say something else but Andrew gave her a stern look and so she shut her mouth again and looked down.

"I'll be off then," said Andrew.

Feeling irritated with her brother, Rosalie stayed silent.

"I'll see you later," said Andrew. He kissed his wife's cheek and then glanced at Rosalie. "Good day, Rosalie."

Deciding it would be silly and immature to ignore him completely Rosalie looked up and nodded her head. "Good day Andrew."

**xxxxxx**

When Rosalie was in her room that evening, Andrew came to see her.

"Did you get your business at the blacksmiths sorted?" she asked him.

"Yes. I did," said Andrew, nodding. "Turner sends you his regards."

Rosalie's face lit up. "He did?"

"Yes," said Andrew, feeling glad that he hadn't taken her with him after noticing her reaction. "He asked after you." Andrew's heart sank a bit more, when his sister's face lit up again. It was obvious she was indeed very fond of the blacksmith. He definitely had to put a stop to this. "I've come to tell you something."

Rosalie nodded. "Yes?"

"Lieutenant Wexley came by earlier," he said.

"Did he?" asked Rosalie, not looking very interested now.

"Yes. He came to ask me for permission to call on you," said Andrew.

Rosalie's eyes widened considerably. "He wants to call on me?" she asked, looking surprised.

"Yes," he replied. "He seems to have taken a shine to you Rosalie."

Rosalie blushed at this and looked down before looking back up at her brother. "What did you say?"

"Well I said yes. But I can always tell him I've changed my mind, if you want me to," he said.

"No. You don't have to do that," she said. "There's no harm in getting to know the man, is there?"

"Not at all," said Andrew, smiling. "He wants to take you for a walk into town tomorrow. Shall I send him a note, to say that you've accepted the invitation?"

"Yes," said Rosalie, with a nod.

Andrew smiled. He was pleased that she was being so agreeable. Maybe spending some time with Wexley would help take her mind off Will Turner. "I will do it now then. Goodnight Rosalie."

"Goodnight Andrew," she replied, watching as he left the room.

She was very surprised indeed that the Lieutenant had asked to call on her. This type of thing didn't happen often. She thought back to when she had last seen the Lieutenant and realized that he _had_ seemed to like her. He had seemed very nice and she had to admit the thought of him wanting to spend more time with her, made her feel special.

She suddenly wanted to tell Emily about it and making sure her house coat was securely tied she left her room and went downstairs. As she passed her brother's study she overheard her brother having a whispered conversation with Charlotte. She went to carry on past as she knew it was rude to eavesdrop but the sound of her own name stopped her in her tracks. She crept closer to the door, pressed her ear to the gap and listened closely.

"I don't see a problem with Rosalie becoming friendly with Will Turner," said Charlotte's voice. "I thought you wanted her to make friends. Will Turner is a good man and she could do far worse than make a friend like him."

"I'm not saying Turner is a bad man," insisted Andrew. "I know that Turner likes Rosalie too. But I don't want her to become too attached to him. And I can see that happening."

"What's wrong with that?" asked Charlotte, incredulously. "If Will Turner makes her happy then who are we to stand in his way? Do you not want Rosalie to be happy?"

"Of course I want her to be happy!" exclaimed Andrew. "But you know as well as I do that Will Turner has a history that could harm any type of relationship between him and Rosalie - especially if she becomes too attached!"

"If you're talking about what happened between him and Elizabeth Swann then you must also know that it's been nearly two years since then!" said Charlotte, crossly.

"Everyone in Port Royal knows Will Turner is still in love with Elizabeth. That fact is obvious to everyone. Can you imagine how much pain Rosalie could go through, if she grows to really care about him? She will always live in the shadow of that woman," said Andrew.

"Oh Andrew, aren't you jumping too far ahead? She has only just met the man! She just wants to be his friend. Can you really deny her that? And if by chance her feelings for him do grow to be more, then it's up to them to work it out. Not you. She's a grown woman!" She continued in a softer voice, resting her hand on her husband's shoulder. "Just let her make her own choices. You will always be there for her and she knows that…but don't stand in her way of happiness."

Andrew was silent for a moment. "Maybe I'm over-reacting just a little bit," he said finally.

"Shall we go up to bed," asked Charlotte, softly.

"Yes," replied Andrew.

At this, Rosalie straightened up and hurried back up the stairs as quick as she could. As she closed her bedroom door, she heard the sound of her brother and sister-in-law entering the hall and starting up the stairs.

She sank down on her bed and closed her eyes, letting what she had just heard sink in. So Will Turner had once been in a relationship with this Elizabeth Swann…and by the sounds of it, been in love with her.

Rosalie remembered what else her brother had said. _But I don't want her to become too attached to him. And I can see that happening. _Was she becoming attached to Will Turner? She really liked him, she knew that. But that was all, wasn't it? _I just think it would be nice to get to know him more, _she told herself firmly. _Yes. That's all. _

**xxxxxx**

The next morning Charlotte helped Rosalie get ready for her walk into town with Lieutenant Wexley. She decided to wear the new gown that her brother had bought her and Charlotte fixed her hair, so that it was twisted up on top of her head.

"Are you excited?" asked Charlotte, as she worked on Rosalie's hair.

"Yes, I am," replied Rosalie. "I'm quite nervous though."

"Oh that's quite normal," said Charlotte, consolingly. "But just wait until the Lieutenant sees you today. He thinks very highly of you, Rosalie. I know he thinks you're pretty."

Rosalie blushed at this and tried to will her nerves to go away. She couldn't help but wonder how she would feel if she was going for a walk with Will Turner and not Lieutenant Wexley. She was quite sure her nerves would be double this amount, tenfold.

"There you go. All ready," announced Charlotte, standing back and admiring her work.

"Do I look alright?" asked Rosalie.

"Yes," said Charlotte. "You look lovely."

"Thank you," smiled Rosalie.

"You should probably get downstairs now," said Charlotte. "You don't want to keep the Lieutenant waiting, do you? Here's your hat."

"Thank you," said Rosalie again. She took the hat and walked over to her mirror. "Oh, I do wish my hair would stay where it was put," she exclaimed as she tried to tuck the wisps of hair that had fallen to frame her face, behind her ears. After a few more attempts she gave up and fixed the hat on top of her head, tying its ribbon under her chin. "I suppose this will have to do."

"Oh stop it, Rosalie," laughed Charlotte. "You look fine! Now go downstairs!"

Rosalie nodded meekly and left the room. As she got halfway down the stairs, her brother came out of his study.

"Rosalie, you look beautiful," he said, smiling at her.

Rosalie blushed. "Thank you, Andrew."

The doorbell rang and the butler scurried to answer it.

"That will be the Lieutenant," said Andrew.

**xxxxxx**

Lieutenant Wexley and Rosalie were walking though town, talking. Well to be truthful, Wexley was talking and Rosalie was listening. He hadn't shut up talking about himself since they had left the house and Rosalie was sure she had never felt so bored.

"And I'm hoping to be promoted in the near future," said Wexley, rather pompously. "I'm quite sure that the Commodore knows that I'm an asset to him and will see fit to reward my hard work soon."

"Of course," said Rosalie, not bothering to hide the bored tone in her voice.

"Ah, yes. If you don't mind, Miss Middleton, I need to attend to some business at the blacksmiths," said Wexley, suddenly.

Rosalie looked up instantly. "The blacksmiths? Oh no, of course I don't mind," she said, smiling.

**xxxxxx**

Will was busy working on a sword, when he heard the bell above the front door ring as the door opened.

"I'll be with you in a minute," he called over his shoulder. Finishing what he was doing, he wiped his hands on his apron and then turned to face his customer. His legs almost gave way beneath him when he found Rosalie Middleton standing there on the arm of Lieutenant Wexley.

"M-Miss Middleton, Lieutenant," he managed to stutter.

"Mr. Turner," said Wexley, with a nod.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Turner," smiled Rosalie. "I hope we find you well."

"I'm fine," said Will, returning the smile. "How are you?"

"I'm very well, thank you."

Will couldn't stop his eyes drifting down her body and taking in her appearance fully. He shook himself mentally and asked, "What can I do for you?"

"I've got a new order for you," said Wexley, withdrawing a piece of paper from his pocket and holding it out to Will.

"Right," said Will, scanning the piece of paper. "I should be able to get this done by next week."

"That's fine," nodded Wexley. He looked around the shop. "You must know a lot about swords if you are making them all day?"

"I suppose I know a bit," answered Will with a shrug.

"I don't suppose you have any skill with them though, well not like I do anyway," said Wexley arrogantly.

Will frowned and went to reply but was beaten to it by Rosalie.

"Oh no," she said, "Mr. Turner is very talented with the sword."

Wexley turned to her and raised his eyebrows. "And how do you know that?"

Rosalie's cheeks reddened. "I-I just…w-well I-I…"

Wexley laughed and slipped his arm around her waist making Will narrow his eyes. He couldn't help but dislike this man. There was just something about him that irked Will beyond belief – and he had a good idea that it had something to do with the fact, that he now had his arm wrapped around Rosalie. He found himself wanting to drag the man away from her.

Rosalie tried to wriggle out of Wexley's embrace. Since when had they got close enough for him to touch her like that? Will noticed this and his dislike for Wexley doubled. It was clear to him that Rosalie wasn't comfortable with the Lieutenant.

"Well anyway, we should get going. It's getting late and I promised your brother that I wouldn't keep you out too long, Rosalie," said Wexley. "I don't want to anger him as he could decide not to let me see you again."

Rosalie smiled weakly, thinking she wouldn't mind that at all. _I always thought it was polite to ask a lady's permission before using her first name._

"We will be off then," said Wexley. "Good day Turner."

"Good day, Lieutenant," replied Will. "Good day Miss Middleton."

"Good day Mr. Turner," replied Rosalie, smiling at him.

Will found himself once again captivated by her smile. However his euphoria didn't last long because Rosalie took Wexley's arm and followed him out the shop.

**A/N: **Well there you have it. I hope you like it! **Please review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**A/N: **Hey! Here is chapter six! It's quite long and I think the plot really moves forward in this one, so I hope you enjoy!

A massive thank you to **kadience**,** brunette25-08**,** hikishianara **and **cHoCoLaTe-RuM** for reviewing! I'm so happy you are enjoying my story! I really appreciate your comments.

**Chapter Six**

It was early evening and Rosalie and Charlotte were sitting in the garden. Rosalie thought that Charlotte probably wanted to hear about her walk with Wexley and she soon found out she was right.

"So did you enjoy your walk with the Lieutenant?" asked Charlotte, trying not to appear nosy.

"Yes, I suppose I did," answered Rosalie.

"You don't sound too sure," said Charlotte. "How do you like Lieutenant Wexley?"

"He seems nice enough," said Rosalie.

"But?" questioned Charlotte, prodding for the truth.

"But what?" asked Rosalie.

"Would you like to take more walks him?" asked Charlotte.

"Y-Yes," said Rosalie.

"The truth, Rosalie," said Charlotte, firmly.

Rosalie realized that she couldn't lie to Charlotte. "I-It's not that I don't like the Lieutenant, because I do. He's a handsome man and a gentleman but…" she said, trailing off.

"You don't like him in _that _way," said Charlotte, with a smile.

"Yes," admitted Rosalie, returning the smile. "To tell you the truth he bored me."

Charlotte laughed at this. "I understand Rosalie. Don't worry you don't have to see him again if you don't want to."

"I feel I should," said Rosalie. "I mean he does seem to like me and I know I should really try and make an effort to get to know him more. I don't want to be a burden on you and Andrew forever. And I don't see a line of other men interested in me, do you?"

"Oh Rosalie," chided Charlotte, rolling her eyes. She then smiled slyly. "Will Turner seems to be interested in you enough."

Rosalie's cheeks turned pink. "Do you think?" she asked, trying not to sound too eager to know her answer.

"I do," said Charlotte, smiling. "Andrew said he asked after you when he saw him yesterday."

"He was just being polite," said Rosalie.

"Do you like him?" asked Charlotte, giving Rosalie a cheeky grin.

"W-Well h-he's a very nice man too," said Rosalie, trying to stop her cheeks reddening even more.

"He's a very handsome man, is he not?" asked Charlotte.

"I-I suppose he is quite handsome," answered Rosalie, feeling that was a vast understatement.

Charlotte chuckled and smiled knowingly, but before she could say any more they were joined by Andrew.

"Here you are," he said, smiling. "I was wondering where my two favourite ladies in the world had gone."

"Oh stop it, Andrew," giggled Charlotte as Andrew came to her side and kissed her cheek. "Rosalie was just telling me about her walk today."

"Oh was she?" asked Andrew. "Did you enjoy yourself Rosalie?"

"Yes," said Rosalie.

"Good," said Andrew, approvingly. "Wexley would like to see you again."

"He would?" asked Rosalie. She wasn't too sure how she felt about that. One part of her felt flattered but the other part felt annoyed. She wasn't sure she could take hearing Wexley talk about himself for much longer.

"Yes," said Andrew, nodding. "Would you like to see him again?"

Rosalie thought about it for a moment. She knew deep down that she should give him another chance. He was a good, respectable man and she could do a lot worse. But could she see herself marrying him? She had always told herself she would only marry for love but how many people married for true love? Well her brother and Charlotte for a start, she thought. But how many people had what they had? How many people were truly in love? Could she afford to wait and see if 'the one' came along or should she be grateful for what she had already? Lieutenant Wexley would look after her and make sure she had everything she needed.

But she didn't know if that was enough. She had always dreamed of falling in love. She had always dreamed of finding that special someone - the one who meant everything to her, the one that occupied her thoughts day in and day out, the one she couldn't live without. But was that practical? She couldn't wait forever. Maybe she should settle for the type of relationship she could have with a man like Lieutenant Wexley?

Why she was even thinking about this, she didn't know. After all Wexley had only asked to see her again. It wasn't like he had asked for her hand in marriage.

"Yes, I don't see why not," she replied. Rosalie saw Charlotte raise her eyebrows, so she added, "I really should try and get to know him some more."

"I'll send him a note in the morning," said Andrew, looking pleased. He was pleased that his sister seemed to have enjoyed her walk with Wexley. Perhaps something would come of this and she would forget about Will Turner after all. He knew he had told his wife that he wouldn't stop Rosalie seeing the young blacksmith again, but he couldn't help but hope that his little sister would forget about Turner. He was her big brother after all and it was only right that he would want to keep her from getting hurt.

**xxxxxx**

Two days later Rosalie, Charlotte and Lieutenant Wexley were all sat together, having afternoon tea. She was very pleased that Charlotte had offered to sit with them because his company hadn't improved and Rosalie was finding it hard to keep her eyelids from drooping. She had to admit that Wexley was nice looking and seemed to be a nice enough man but she couldn't bring herself to be truly excited about him being there.

"I must say Mrs. Middleton, you have a very nice house," said Wexley, putting down his tea cup.

"Err…thank you," said Charlotte, looking slightly amused.

"I have my own plans for my future," said Wexley. "I would like to have a house like this of my own one day and maybe…erm…a wife to share it with perhaps."

Rosalie almost choked on her tea, as Wexley glanced her way. He couldn't mean her, could he?

"Your husband is a very lucky man," said Wexley, ignoring Rosalie's choking fit. "He has a good career, a grand house and a lovely wife. I hope I get as lucky as him."

Rosalie looked at Charlotte, who looked as if she was desperately trying not to laugh. She gave Charlotte a stern look and her sister-in-law grinned back.

Rosalie regretted agreeing to see Wexley again. He had talked of nothing but himself again and hadn't asked Rosalie anything about herself, which she thought was rude. She and Charlotte had sat silently, whilst Wexley had told them about his navy career. He had seemed more interested in what Charlotte had to say than Rosalie's opinions. She supposed he was trying to get in her and her brother's good books but he could try and look as if he was interested in what she had to say too.

An awkward silence now lay over the table and Rosalie nearly jumped for joy when Andrew, appeared in the doorway.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"

"We are," said Wexley, getting to his feet. "I was just going to ask your sister if she would care to accompany me for a walk into town. Is that alright with you?"

Rosalie looked straight up at her brother and tried to communicate with him through her eyes, hoping he'd get the message. _Please say no! Oh please say no, Andrew!_

"That sounds like a good idea," said Andrew, "but why don't we all go down together? Would that be agreeable with you, Charlotte?"

"Oh yes," said Charlotte, smiling.

Rosalie gave her brother a grateful smile. At that moment she was even more sure that he was the best brother in the world.

**xxxxxx**

Two hours later though, Rosalie and Wexley were walking alone. Wexley had managed to convince her brother to let them walk on ahead and this time Andrew hadn't come to her rescue.

"I hope you don't think me too forward, but I have enjoyed my time with you very much Miss Middleton," said Wexley, looking unusually nervous.

Rosalie looked at him and gave him a smile. "That is very kind of you."

"May I also say how beautiful you look today," said Wexley, stopping and turning to face her.

Rosalie blushed and bowed her head. "You are too kind."

"I am very pleased you came to Port Royal," he said. "I just wish the reasons for you coming were more pleasant."

Rosalie nodded, beginning to feel horrible. She supposed that Wexley was just nervous and this was why he hadn't stopped jabbering about himself. She decided she should really try and enjoy herself, as she owed not only him that but herself too. "I am glad too. If I hadn't come here, I would never have met you or…Mr. Turner…and that is a sad thought indeed."

Wexley raised an eyebrow at this and said, "I didn't know you were that friendly with Turner?"

"Oh well, I've seen him a couple of times," she said quickly. "And he did help me that once if you remember."

"Of course," said Wexley, nodding. "I have to say though, that I find it hard to believe it's appropriate for you to have a friendship with a common blacksmith?"

"What makes you say that?" asked Rosalie, frowning.

"Well he's from a lower class isn't he?" said Wexley, chuckling. "I thought that would be obvious."

Suddenly overcome with anger Rosalie pulled herself free from him, not noticing that several people now had to dodge around them as they had stopped in the middle of a crowded street. "I don't know why you think you can talk about people like that. And I am certainly not going to stand here and listen to you insult anyone, especially someone who has been nothing but kind to me."

"I-I'm s-sorry Miss Middleton," said Wexley, suddenly very apologetic. "That was rude of me and absolutely uncalled for."

But Rosalie wasn't in the mood to accept an apology. "No. You owe someone else an apology, not me."

Wexley laughed then. "Now now, you must be very tired. Let me walk you home, Rosalie."

She didn't know if it was because of his faintly patronizing tone of voice or the fact that he had called her by her first name again, but with one last glare she turned and disappeared into the crowds before he could work out what was happening.

She walked quickly, silently seething and wanting to put as much distance between herself and that silly arrogant man. She couldn't believe he had just said that. Even though she had been brought up as a lady, she had never thought of herself as being above anyone else.

As she calmed she sighed, thinking she may have over reacted just a bit. He probably hadn't meant it anyway. Not really.

Rosalie turned off the main street and walked down one of the much quieter and less crowded side streets. She paused and took a deep breath, as she realised it had been stupid of her to walk off like that. What would Wexley and her brother, if he heard about it, think of her now? She groaned and covered her face with her hands, feeling embarrassed over her actions. She uncovered her face and looked around. She hadn't really taking note of where she was walking, and as a result was now lost. _Oh perfect!_

She decided that it would be best for her to try and retrace her steps. She turned to go back on to the main street, but her progress was halted by someone grabbing her upper arm.

Rosalie spun around to find a man, with long greasy hair and a scarred face, grinning at her.

"'Ello Miss Middleton," said the man.

Rosalie recoiled and tried to pull her arm free but the man wasn't having any of it.

"You're goin' no where 'til ye giv' me it," he said, leaning closer to her and making her to scrunch up her nose at the smell of his breath.

"If you want money, then I'm sorry but you're out of luck," she said, bravely. "I don't have any on me."

"I'm not afta ye money," said the man. "Giv' me the necklace."

"Necklace?" asked Rosalie, frowning. "I'm not wearing one. What would you want with one of them anyway? I doubt you could get much for them?"

"Not just any necklace," snarled the man, rolling his eyes. "_The_ necklace."

"Look…just let me go," said Rosalie, thinking that this man was clearly deranged. She pulled herself free and went to walk away but froze when she felt the cold sharp blade of a knife pressed to her throat and the man's arm around her middle.

"Just giv' me the key, like a good girl, and ye won't get hurt," growled the man into her ear.

"I don't know what you are talking about," said Rosalie, her voice starting to shake. "I've got a few necklaces but they are back home. And I know nothing about a key."

"Don't play stupid, Miss Middleton," said the man fiercely, pressing the blade harder into her skin.

Rosalie gulped and her eyes started to water. "I promise you, I don't know what you are talking about. You must have the wrong person."

"_He _knows ye hav' it. And he wants it," said the man. "So tell me where to find it."

"I don't know what you are going on about!" yelled Rosalie, fear getting the better of her.

The man just growled and pressing his lips to her ear hissed, "Tell me now or I'll slit ye pretty little neck!"

Rosalie whimpered and desperately tried to think of a way to escape. She wondered if she should call out for help but from the feel of the knife against her delicate skin, she knew the man would slash her neck if she tried. Anyway she doubted anyone would hear her voice above the noise of the crowd, as she was far from the main street and it didn't look like people came down here much. It was just old crates and rubbish.

"And it would be a waste, for such a pretty neck like yours to suffer such a fate," continued the man, tightening his hold on her.

Instinctively Rosalie swung her elbow back, jabbing him in the stomach. The man instantly let her go and Rosalie turned around to face him, slowly backing away.

"Ye little-" started the man, lunging for her. But before he could grab her, Rosalie brought her leg up and kneed him. Rosalie watched with wide eyes as the man fell to the ground moaning, before turning and running as fast as she could back along the narrow street. Her gown was heavy and restricted her movement; the tight bodice digging into her sides as she ran. She ducked and dived around corners and sprinted along streets as fast as her legs would carry her, before being forced to halt to catch her breath and clutch at the stitch in her side.

Looking up she sighed with relief. She couldn't believe her luck. She had managed to run straight to the smithy. She knew she could trust Will to help her and that he would keep her safe until she could get back to her brother, so she stumbled over and rapped sharply on the door.

**xxxxxx**

Will looked up in surprise as there came a knock on the door. Someone is in a rush, he thought.

Running a hand through his tousled hair, he unlatched the door and pulled it open. His mouth fell open in surprise when he found a red faced Rosalie Middleton on his doorstep. She looked to be out of breath as if she had been running. Will quickly looked behind her, seeing no one.

"Miss Middleton? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"T-There…w-was this…man. He a-attacked me," she managed to say between gasps. "Please m-may I come in for a b-bit, Mr. Turner."

Will frowned and scanned the street behind her again, noting with relief it didn't look like she had been followed. He nodded and ushered her inside, latching the door behind them and then turning back to Rosalie. He placed a hand on her back and steered her over to a wooden table, pushing her down into a chair. He grabbed a blanket and draped it around her shoulders, before pulling a chair over and sitting down in front of the trembling woman.

"Are you alright?" he asked gently. "Did this man hurt you?"

"No," said Rosalie, shaking her head. She looked up at him and gave him a sheepish smile. "I managed to kick him before he could."

Will chuckled and let his eyes carefully examine her face, looking for any signs of injury. Her hair looked rather windswept and her face flushed but apart from that she looked unharmed.

"What happened?" he asked. "Are you on your own? Where is your brother?"

Rosalie looked down. "I was walking with Lieutenant Wexley when he said something that offended me. I'm afraid I walked off and that's when that man attacked me. I know it was stupid of me and that it's my fault because I wandered off-"

"No. Don't blame yourself," interrupted Will. "The Lieutenant should have taken better care of you." He wasn't too thrilled to hear that she'd been taking a walk with Wexley. He didn't really know why it bothered him so much. All he knew was that he wouldn't have let her come to the harm the other man had.

He stared at the woman seated before him, letting his eyes hover on her features. She wasn't overly beautiful but she had a lovely open face and expressive eyes that were a deep dark blue. Her skin was fair and her hair a rich dark chocolate brown. His eyes drifted down to her full lips and he found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss them. He tried to focus back on the situation at hand. Rosalie needed his help. Anyway he couldn't allow him self to become attracted to her. He just couldn't.

Rosalie must have noticed him staring because she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I feel better now Mr. Turner. Thank you for allowing me to rest in your home, but I think it is time for me to head back home now." She went to rise from her seat but as she was still weak from her ordeal she swayed. She quickly clutched at the back of her chair to stop herself falling to the ground.

Will was by her side in an instant; his arm wrapped around her waist, lending her his support as he helped her sit back down. "I think it's obvious you are in no fit state to go home yet, especially on your own. You should rest. I will send your brother a note and tell him what has happened."

Rosalie looked up at him, gratefully. "That is very kind of you," she said, smiling.

Will found himself staring at her mouth again, entranced by her gorgeous smile. He looked back up at her eyes. "It's what any gentleman would do. And anyway I don't want you wandering around out there on your own."

**A/N: **There you have it! Please **Review**!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! Here is the next chapter! I enjoyed writing this one and it's another long chappie so I hope you like it. Please read and review! I really appreciate hearing any comments and thoughts you may have.

A huge big thank you to **AnimeFan918**, **keecha** and **brunette25-08**! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Also a big thank you to **all **my readers!

**Chapter Seven**

Rosalie didn't know what to say. She just stared at Will silently, going over his words again and again in her mind. _I don't want you wandering around out there on your own. _It wasn't just the words themselves either. It was how he had looked into her eyes when he had said them. Those beautiful deep brown eyes of his had been boring straight into hers. For a moment, one brief moment, Rosalie had been sure that there was a hidden meaning behind those words.

But now that she had managed to shake herself from her stupor she realized how ridiculous that was. He hadn't meant anything. He was just concerned for her safety, as anyone with a conscience would be if they were in his place. She broke their eye contact and looked down. She felt stupid and was quite sure her face would give her away. She didn't want Will to know what had crossed her mind, even if it had only crossed her mind briefly.

"I'll go write that note," said Will suddenly and Rosalie looked up as he rose to his feet and walked away from her. He walked over to a flight of wooden stairs that led up to a loft and turned back to face her. "I'll just be up here. You sit and rest and if you need anything just call. I won't be long."

Rosalie nodded and then he turned and climbed the stairs. Once he was gone Rosalie turned her attention to her surroundings and looked around the blacksmiths. It looked to her as if Will had been working before she arrived and she hoped that she wasn't keeping him from anything too important. It occurred to her that Will Turner had come to her rescue twice now. She hoped the man didn't think her incapable of looking after herself or staying out of trouble.

If she was honest she was glad that Will had told her to sit and rest for a while longer. Her legs seemed to be made of rubber and she felt quite weak and tired as if she had been running a race. She knew that Will was right in making her stay until her brother could pick her up. And she couldn't deny that she didn't mind staying in Will's company for a bit longer.

She clutched the blanket more tightly around her as her thoughts returned to what her brother would say when she eventually got home. He would surely be angry with her for wandering off again. He wouldn't understand why she had done it and now that she wasn't so mad at Wexley, she could see it had been silly of her and she could have very easily gotten hurt. She didn't know the town very well yet and her brother had always warned her not to wander far unaccompanied. She should have just bitten her tongue and told Wexley to take her home. She could have had a good rant to her brother and Charlotte about how rude Wexley had been and that would have been it. She wouldn't be sitting in the smithy causing trouble for Will and she wouldn't have been attacked by that man.

Her breathing quickened at the memory of the knife pressed to her neck. If it had slipped one inch she would be dead now, lying in a pool of her own blood in that alley. She shuddered at that thought.

That man knew my name, thought Rosalie. How did he know that? I'm sure I've never seen him before in my life. It didn't settle well with her at all that a strange man she had never met before knew her name. And what was that about a necklace, she thought. That man had seemed to think she had it but she couldn't believe that any of the ones she owned were of any real value and it was a lot of fuss for a piece of jewellery. And this key, the man mentioned. What was that all about?

Rosalie continued to ponder this until she heard the sound of Will coming back down the stairs. "How do you feel now?" he asked, coming over with the note in his hand.

Rosalie smiled. "I feel much better. You really don't have to go to all this trouble, you know. I'm quite sure I could manage to walk now."

Will laughed but still shook his head. "I don't think that's wise. Your brother would have my head if I let you go out there again. I think it's best if he comes and collects you from here himself."

"I suppose you know best," said Rosalie, grinning. "But you could always walk me back yourself."

Will chuckled. "I feel you should stay off your feet a while longer yet. You've had quite a scare after all."

Another shiver ran down Rosalie's spine and she clutched the blanket tighter around her neck, as she thought again about what could have happened to her if she hadn't managed to get free.

"I'll get someone to deliver this note to your brother," said Will, walking over to the door and exiting the shop. Rosalie waited and he came back a few minutes later. "I've given it to young Oscar from next door. He says he will take it straight away."

"Thank you," said Rosalie. "I hope I'm not being too much trouble. I'm afraid I've needed you to get me out of trouble twice now. You must be fed up with me."

"Oh no, Miss Middleton," said Will at once, sitting back down beside her. "I'm pleased I've been able to help."

Rosalie blushed and looked down to hide her red cheeks. "Is it a habit of yours to help young women when they find themselves in trouble, Mr. Turner?"

Will chuckled deeply again and she found herself thinking she liked hearing him laugh. "Not if I can help it, it isn't," he said, grinning. Then he winked at her and said, "But then again I can see it becoming so, if it was you I was rescuing all the time."

Rosalie's heart jumped in her chest and a shock shot down her spine when he winked at her. She was sure her face was aflame now but she managed to smile up at him and say, "Not that I would mind having you rescue me again, but I do not want a repeat of today any time soon."

Will's smile faded at this and he slowly reached out and grasped Rosalie's hand gently. "No, I bet you don't."

Rosalie found herself wanting to move closer to the man in front of her. His hand was so warm and she could only imagine what it must feel like to be in his arms, wrapped in his embrace. She squeezed his hand briefly, itching to move forwards and wrap her arms around him. Rosalie swallowed as Will reached up with his other hand to push a strand of her hair behind her ear. She shuddered again, but this time it was not because of fear.

"Are you sure you are not harmed?" asked Will, softly. He wanted to make completely sure the woman before him didn't have a single scratch.

Rosalie nodded her head, suddenly unable to speak.

"Can you tell me what happened?" continued Will, leaning forwards in his chair.

Rosalie bowed her head and nodded again. "Yes. As I told you before I wandered off, away from Lieutenant Wexley. I think I must have been deep in thought and the next thing I know is that I have wandered into an area that I do not know. I turned to retrace my steps and was stopped by this man. I asked him to let me go but he would not."

Will closed his eyes as he clenched his jaw. If he ever found out who this man was, he would kill them. He was feeling it again; that incredible protective urge that he had thought he would never feel again.

"He asked me for this necklace. I wasn't even wearing a necklace so I thought he must be crazy. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about but he wouldn't let me go. Then he started babbling on about this key. I kept telling him I didn't know what he was going on about and then he pulled out a knife. I was getting really scared then but I managed to kick him and I broke free. Then I just ran. Luckily I managed to find my way here. I knew I could count on you to help me and I was right," said Rosalie, smiling now.

Will returned her smile. "I would never turn you away."

Rosalie blushed but then remembered something else. "There's one more thing. The man called me Miss Middleton. How do you think he knew my name?"

Will frowned. "I don't know. He probably heard it from someone else. I'm quite sure you're the talk of the town at the moment," he told her after a pause.

Rosalie's eyes widened. "Me? I'm the talk of the town? What makes you say that?"

"Well it's not every day a Lieutenant asks his lovely sister to come and live with him is it?" said Will, smirking.

Rosalie laughed. "I suppose you're right. Do you really think he could have picked it up from gossip?"

"It's the only explanation I can think of," said Will, shrugging. "He might have seen you walking with Wexley and then when the opportunity arose tried to take advantage of it. He probably thought a lady like you could have a few valuable jewels on her person and couldn't resist having a go."

Rosalie nodded and sighed. "I think you're right. I do hope I don't stay the topic of peoples' conversations for too long though."

Will chuckled. "I doubt you will. I'm sure there will be a new scandal for them to talk about soon."

Rosalie smiled but then her grin turned into a yawn.

"You're tired," said Will. "It's no wonder either. Why don't you have a lie down upstairs until your brother arrives? I'm sure he will be a while yet and some sleep will do you good."

"That does sound like a good idea," admitted Rosalie, "as long as it's not too much bother."

"I wouldn't have offered if it was," said Will, getting to his feet and pulling her up too. He felt relieved when she was able to stand without much help; her legs must be feeling better. He took her arm properly and then led her up the stairs to the loft. "It isn't much but it's comfortable," he said, when they reached the top.

"It's lovely," said Rosalie sincerely, whilst looking around.

Will smiled and led her over to his bed. He suddenly felt very awkward. He was standing by his bed with a woman that he admittedly found very attractive and all he could think about was how much he would very like to get in the bed with her. He scolded himself for such thoughts. He had to stop thinking of her like that.

What would her brother think? He wasn't sure it was entirely appropriate of him to offer her his bed like this - especially as they were very much alone - but it wasn't like he had another choice was it. The poor woman had had a traumatic experience and needed to rest. Her brother wouldn't be that long anyway and she could just rest her eyes until he got there. "Here you go. You take a nap if you want and I'll keep a lookout for your brother."

Rosalie smiled and letting go of his hand, proceeded to climb up on top of the covers. "I must thank you again for your kindness," she said, looking up at Will.

Will swallowed as he tried to clear his mind of the thoughts that had sprung up when she had climbed up on his bed. "You just get some sleep," he managed to tell her.

Rosalie nodded and lay down before closing her eyes. She fell asleep almost instantly.

**xxxxxx**

Will was sitting by the side of his bed, watching the rise and fall of Rosalie's shoulders as she slept. She was lying on her side. Her dark hair was spread out over the pillow beneath her head and her lips were parted slightly as she breathed deeply in and out.

Will groaned quietly and covered his face with his hands. It was taking a lot of self control not to lie down beside her and kiss those lips of hers. She looked like an angel in sleep and he was finding it harder and harder to ignore his deepening attraction to her. He knew it was wrong of him to feel the way he did and he kept telling himself that he had to ignore it. He couldn't allow himself to feel attracted to her. It would cause too much trouble and heart ache if he didn't.

He was still in love with Elizabeth and he knew it. Up until recently she was the only woman he had ever felt this attracted to, and also the only woman he had assumed he would ever feel this attraction for. But here he was, trying to ignore what he was feeling for Rosalie Middleton. It didn't make sense.

When Elizabeth had broken off the engagement he had told himself he would never love another woman. He wasn't even sure he _could _even if he wanted too. That woman had been his everything. The only woman he had been able to see himself being with for the rest of his life. Therefore when she had left him, he had resigned himself to being a bachelor for the rest of his life. He had told himself he would be happy with the memory of what love had felt like and he had been sure he would never feel anything for any other woman.

But he couldn't deny what he felt for Rosalie. But he also knew it couldn't continue. He could never be with another woman, not when his heart still belonged to Elizabeth. He wasn't sure he would ever get it back.

Rosalie stirred in her sleep and turned slightly, drawing his attention back to her. She deserved more anyway, he thought. She deserved to have a man who loved her utterly and completely and he wasn't able to do that. Perhaps he should stay away from her for a while, until he could get his hormones in control again.

Suddenly Will was disrupted from his thoughts by a sharp knock on the front door downstairs. Glancing once more at Rosalie he got up and went to answer it. It was Lieutenant Middleton. The man was very pale and he looked extremely worried.

"Is she alright?" he asked as soon as Will had opened the door. "What happened?"

Will stood back to let the man past and then started to explain what had happened.

"Thank god she managed to find her way here," said Middleton, after Will had finished talking. He looked around the shop. "Where is she?"

Will's face reddened as he wondered what the man would say when he realised his sister was asleep on his bed. "Oh…she's upstairs…having a lie down. I thought she could do with a rest."

"Oh right," said Middleton, with an unreadable expression on his face.

"It's this way," said Will, leading the way up the stairs and over to his bed. He noticed the Lieutenant look around the room and gritted his teeth for the tirade that was sure to come. But it didn't. Instead Middleton stroked the hair back off Rosalie's face and gazed down on her with obvious concern.

"Is she hurt?"

"No," replied Will. "I think she's just shocked and tired."

"That's good. I should get her home quickly then. I've got a carriage waiting outside," said Middleton. "Thank you for taking care of my sister, Turner."

"I would do it again without hesitation," said Will. The Lieutenant looked up at him with a strange expression for a few moments before turning back to his sister.

"I won't wake her now. She must be exhausted," he told Will. He then very carefully gathered his sister up and hoisted her into his arms, before turning to face the blacksmith. "Thank you once again, Mr. Turner. Good evening."

"You can use the side door," said Will, opening a door that led on to a flight of stairs that went down outside the building. "Good evening Lieutenant." He then watched as Lieutenant Middleton carried his sister down the stairs and then as he climbed into the carriage. Only when the carriage had trundled out of sight did he turn and go back inside.

**xxxxxx**

The first thing Rosalie became aware of when she awoke, was that she wasn't in her dress anymore and that she was under the bed covers and not on top of them like she had been when she had fallen asleep.

_Oh my! Did Will undress me whilst I slept?_ She very slowly opened her eyes and found that she was now in her own bed in her own house. She sighed in relief and closed her eyes again. She wouldn't have been able to look him in the eye again if he had undressed her. She blushed at the thought of that man removing her clothes. Then she realised how stupid it was of her to even let that thought cross her mind. Mr. Turner was a gentleman. She was sure he was not the type of man to undress women without their permission or knowledge.

She heard her bedroom door open and opened her eyes to see her brother coming into the room.

"Rosalie, you are awake," he said, walking over and smiling down at her.

"How did I get back here?" she asked, sitting up.

"You were asleep," said Andrew. "Mr. Turner told me what happened. I thought you deserved to rest so I didn't wake you."

"That was kind of you," said Rosalie, smiling up at he older brother. "And before you say anything, I am really sorry for wandering off like I did. It was silly and irresponsible of me to leave Lieutenant Wexley's side."

"Wexley is the irresponsible one, not you," said Andrew, gently.

"It was me that wandered off though, not him. I made that decision myself," said Rosalie, feeling cross with herself.

"That is true," said Andrew, nodding. "But I am sure the Lieutenant isn't entirely innocent in all of this. I assume the man did something to make you leave his side. I find it hard to believe you would do it without a reason."

Rosalie nodded, her eyes hardening slightly. "He said something about Mr. Turner being below us and that it wasn't appropriate for me and him to spend time together. He wouldn't even apologise afterwards."

Andrew looked shocked. "He said that? Well I'm deeply disappointed in him. You know that I have never agreed with that type of nonsense."

"I know," said Rosalie. "I'm afraid I got a bit ratty at him then and walked off. It was very immature of me I know, but at that moment it was either that or slap him."

Andrew laughed and Rosalie grinned sheepishly.

"I can't say I agree that you did the right thing by walking off and I am rather cross at you for doing it. But I let you go out with Wexley because I believed he would look after you. You were his responsibility and he let you come to harm. He's the one who is to blame in all this," said Andrew, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "When he came back here and told me he'd lost you I couldn't believe it. I very nearly throttled him. I'm just pleased you managed to find your way to the blacksmiths. That was most fortunate."

"It was," agreed Rosalie. "It was very lucky. But as soon as I saw the blacksmiths I knew I could trust Mr. Turner to help me."

"I'm so very sorry about what happened Rosalie. You must have been petrified."

"It was very scary," said Rosalie. "But I'm fine. I do not wish to dwell on what _could_ have happened."

"That is very wise," said Andrew.

"Did Mr. Turner tell you that the man knew my name?" asked Rosalie, absentmindedly tracing the pattern on the bed cover with her fingers.

"Yes, he did," said Andrew. "I'm quite sure it's nothing to worry about Rosalie. He must have heard it from someone else. You are sure you've never seen him before?"

"Yes. I am sure," said Rosalie. "He wasn't the type of person I usually spend my time with I assure you."

Andrew chuckled slightly and took his sisters hand in one of his. "I'm pleased to hear you say that. Hopefully we will catch this man and make sure he doesn't have the opportunity to scare any other innocent young women."

Rosalie nodded. "I hope you do too."

"But until then I would feel better if you don't leave the house if I'm not able to come with you. It's probably unnecessary but it would make me feel better. It was probably an opportunist attack but I don't want to risk it. He could have even guessed your name correctly by chance. But if it does prove to have been a planned attack you should stay here out of harms way as much as possible unless I can accompany you. At least until we catch this man or otherwise rule out the possibility of you being in danger," said Andrew. He gave her hand a squeeze. "Do you understand? I'm sure you are in no danger but I would feel better if I knew you were where you were safe."

"I understand Andrew," said Rosalie smiling.

"Good girl," said Andrew. "Now, get back to sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay Andrew," said Rosalie, lying back down.

Andrew leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Andrew left and Rosalie fell back to sleep.

**xxxxxx**

"Did you have a good night sleep, Rosalie," asked Charlotte, the following morning at breakfast.

"Oh yes," said Rosalie, smiling. "I did. I feel much better."

"That is good news," said Andrew from across the table.

"I've got something I would like to do today," said Rosalie, brushing some crumbs off her dress. She looked up almost nervously at her brother. "I-I would really like to visit Mr. Turner. I know I said I wouldn't leave the house but he's been a great help to me twice now, and I would really like to thank him properly this time. So I have decided to bake him a pie and then take it down to him this afternoon."

"You have, have you?" asked Andrew, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes" said Rosalie and she took a deep breath, seemingly stealing herself for something. "And I would really like to do it with your blessing but believe me I will do it anyway with or without your consent."

Andrew and Charlotte looked at each other with amused looks on their faces.

"Well," said Andrew, pretending to be seriously considering his decision, "if you are determined to do it with or without my consent, then I think I have no choice but to give it."

"I-It's alright with you?" said Rosalie, looking shocked. "You really don't mind?"

Andrew chuckled and shook his head. "Of course I don't mind. I would like to thank Mr. Turner myself. But promise me you will take the carriage straight there and then get it to wait there for you."

"Of course," said Rosalie, smiling.

"Then, it is fine with me," said Andrew.

Rosalie just stared at him expressionless for a moment and then her face broke into a smile. "May I be excused then?" she said, pushing her chair back from the table. "If I am to go and visit Mr. Turner this afternoon, I will need to start baking as soon as possible."

"Of course," said Andrew, nodding his head. "You go and get baking."

Rosalie got up, rushed over to her brother, kissed him on the cheek and then left the room for the kitchen.

Charlotte looked over at her husband and raised an eyebrow. "Did I just hear all of that correctly? Did you just give Rosalie permission to go and visit Will Turner when you have been against her seeing that man at all?"

Andrew shrugged and took a sip of his tea. "He is a good man. He has proved that twice now. Yesterday Rosalie trusted him to help her and if she trusts him then it's enough for me."

"I agree with you," said Charlotte, leaning forward and taking Andrew's hand. "Its lovely that Rosalie has found someone that she can trust."

"It is," said Andrew, nodding.

"Are you going to let Lieutenant Wexley see Rosalie again?" asked Charlotte.

"Oh definitely not," said Andrew. "I can't believe he let her wander off like that."

"Rosalie wandered off by herself," pointed out Charlotte. "You can't blame Wexley completely."

"I know I can't," sighed Andrew. "But he did something to make her leave his side and I know Rosalie wouldn't have felt the need to do that unless he really upset her."

"I suppose you are right," said Charlotte, sighing slightly. "But the man did look awfully upset when he came around to tell us that he'd managed to lose Rosalie."

"I don't know how he managed to lose her completely. I mean she can't have got away so fast that he couldn't follow."

"He said he went after her but the streets were very crowded so he lost her."

"That still doesn't make up for him upsetting her. If he calls around again, I will give him a piece of my mind," said Andrew.

Charlotte smiled and then rose to her feet. "I'm going to go and see if Rosalie wants any help with her baking. It's been ages since I got really busy in the kitchen."

Andrew smiled and then got up to kiss his wife on the lips. "You two have fun. I'll see you later this afternoon."

Charlotte nodded and then headed for the kitchen, wondering if Rosalie had managed to bribe the cook into lending her the kitchen yet.

**A/N: **There it is! Please **review! **Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**Author's Note: **Hey Everyone! Here is Chapter Eight! I think the plot is really starting to get interesting now. Well that's what I think but you can disagree if you want! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Thanks to all my readers and especially to my reviewers, **brunette25-08**, **keecha **and **kadience**! You all make me really happy and spur me on to keep writing!

So on with the chapter!

**Chapter Eight**

Rosalie spent most of the morning in the kitchen, baking an apple pie. Charlotte had helped her a lot and now the two young women were sat at the kitchen table, drinking some tea.

"It does smell good," said Charlotte. "Are you sure you have never baked before?"

"Well I have, very occasionally, but that was when my mother was alive and that was a long time ago."

Charlotte noticed the sad expression on Rosalie's face and reached over to grasp her hand. "I'm sorry."

Rosalie looked up and laughed softly. "There is no need to be. It's nice to think about things that I've almost forgotten." She was quiet for a second. "But let's not talk about such miserable things." She glanced around and smiling slyly reached towards the pile of left-over flour still on the table. "Why, I can't remember the last time I took part in a good snowball fight."

Charlotte furrowed her brow looking thoroughly confused, but just as her confusion cleared Rosalie grabbed a fistful of the white powder and threw it across the table. The flour didn't travel far but sprinkled down like real snow over Charlotte's head. Rosalie burst out laughing as she pointed at Charlotte who now looked like she had been sprinkled with icing sugar.

"R-Rosalie!" spluttered Charlotte, in mock outrage. "I can't believe you just did that!"

Rosalie laughed even harder but gasped and ducked when Charlotte grabbed a handful of flour to try to get some revenge. The flour hardly made it across the table and with a snort Rosalie grabbed another handful and aimed another hit at the other woman. Charlotte screamed and dove for the floor, laughing hysterically. Then all hell broke loose and soon the air was full of flying flour and the sounds of the whoops and screams of the two women.

The sounds must have been loud enough to be heard throughout the house as soon, a number of the servants appeared in the doorway and looked on in shock as the flour fight continued.

"Mrs. Middleton?" said Emily finally, looking thoroughly amused. "Miss Rosalie? What on earth are you doing?"

Both Rosalie and Charlotte stopped and looked to the door to find most of their staff standing there. Rosalie straightened up and tucked some of the hair that had worked itself loose during the fight, back behind her ear. Charlotte brushed the flour from her dress, coughing into her hand to cover her own embarrassment.

"Err…we w-were j-just…" started Rosalie before stopping as it became clear that there wasn't really anything she could say to cover up for what they had just been doing. She blushed even more and glanced helplessly at Charlotte who was looking equally as mortified as she felt.

"I-It's the heat of the d-day, you know," said Charlotte, wringing her hands together. "It's gets very warm in here."

Rosalie's mouth had fallen open and she glanced at the servants to find them staring at Charlotte with raised eyebrows.

"The heat of the day you say?" said Emily, with a small smirk.

"Err y-yes!" said Rosalie, loudly. She placed a hand to her forehead and then fanned herself with the same hand. "Can't you feel it? It's _stifling_ in here. The heat must have made us go a bit loopy."

Emily's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into her hair line. Oh how stupid did that sound, thought Rosalie. The heat made us loopy!

But Emily was nodding - mind you, she was also grinning madly. "Oh yes! I've heard the heat can do strange things to you. Once I–"

"That's enough," interrupted Penny, who was another maid. "We don't have time to hear it. Let's just get back to work."

There was a murmur of agreement and then they all trailed back out into the hallway without once looking back at Rosalie and Charlotte again. As soon as they were alone Rosalie turned and swatted at Charlotte's arm playfully.

"It's the heat of the day?" she asked. "Oh that sounded really believable!"

"Well what else was I supposed to say?" said Charlotte, going red. "I had to think of something to explain why we were having a flour fight!"

"Yes, I suppose you did," agreed Rosalie, looking around at the now white kitchen. "But honestly! You could have tried to come up with a more plausible excuse."

"Why didn't you come up with something then?" asked Charlotte, agitated. "As I remember it was _you _who started it in the first place."

"Yes…well," said Rosalie, going even redder. "Well I…"

Charlotte frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "Yes?"

"It wasn't really-"

"Rosalie…" said Charlotte, warningly.

"But it wasn't…" said Rosalie, placing her hands on her hips.

Charlotte just gave her a stern look and pursed her lips slightly.

Rosalie sighed and plopped down on a chair. "Alright! I admit it! I started it!"

Charlotte smiled and sat back down too, feeling pleased. "That wasn't hard was it?"

"Of course not," said Rosalie, rolling her eyes.

"I think you should check your pie," said Charlotte, pretending to study her nails. She looked up and grinned. "We can't have it being burned for Mr. Turner, now can we?"

Rosalie glared at her but didn't say anything. Instead she got to her feet and hurried over to the brick oven so she could check on the pie.

**xxxxxx**

An hour later, Rosalie was climbing out of the carriage outside the blacksmiths. She looked up at the sign nervously and gulped. Now she was here, clutching the still warm pie in her arms, she couldn't help but feel slightly silly. _I don't know if Will even likes apples! _

She bit her lip and glanced back into the carriage. She thought about what Charlotte would say if she went back to the house now, and told her she hadn't delivered the pie because she felt silly. The woman would laugh herself to death probably. She would think it was hilarious! _Pull yourself together! You're just delivering a thank you present._

Nodding her head resolvedly she walked forwards and knocked on the door. She only had to wait for a few moments before the door opened to reveal Will, looking sweaty and dirty once again, wiping his hands on his apron. He looked handsome enough to make her legs feel weak and to cause her toes to curl up inside her shoes. His eyes widened when he saw her but then his face broke into a smile. Rosalie swallowed and tightened her hold on the pie, as the now familiar shock shot down her spine.

"Miss Middleton, what are you doing here?" asked Will, tilting his head ever so slightly to the side.

Rosalie swallowed again and then bit her lip again. Seeing him standing there, looking disheveled and tired, but with that gorgeous smile on his face, was making her feel…well strange. She met his gaze and found herself unable to look away. "Err…well…I-I have made you a p-pie to say thank you for looking after me yesterday."

Will's smile widened. "That is very kind of you but quite unnecessary."

Rosalie stood up straighter. "It's the least I can do."

"Well then you had better come in."

Rosalie nodded and then walked past Will into the shop. "It's an apple pie. I hope you like apples."

Will chuckled as he closed the door again. "Oh yes, I do like apples."

Rosalie sighed with relief. "Phew! I was worried you wouldn't like them and then I would feel pretty stupid because I hadn't even thought about asking you what you would like which is pretty careless because not everyone likes apples do they-"

Will burst out laughing and feeling affronted Rosalie stopped babbling. She felt her face redden and she crossed her arms as Will continued to laugh. "And what is so funny, Mr. Turner?"

"I-It's…n-nothing…Miss M-Middleton," spluttered Will. "It's just I find it funny that you were worried that I wouldn't like apples."

"I don't see what's so funny," said Rosalie frowning.

Will stopped when he heard the cross tone to her voice and tried to pull himself together. "I'm sorry. I know it's not funny. I don't know why I laughed-"

"Never mind," interrupted Rosalie quickly. "You should eat it soon. It's still warm."

Will walked forward to take the pie off her and then he gave her a smile. "This is really kind of you."

"Well like I said, it's the least I can do," said Rosalie, not meeting his eyes. "I-I'll be off now. I hope you enjoy it." She had turned to leave when Will's voice stopped her.

"What? You aren't staying?"

Rosalie turned back to face him, surprised. "No. My carriage is waiting outside."

Will stepped closer to her. "Why don't you stay for a bit? I won't be able to eat all of this on my own and I wouldn't mind some company."

Rosalie looked at the door and then back at Will. He was actually asking her to stay, she thought. But hadn't she promised her brother she'd come straight back? But then again surely it wouldn't matter if she stayed for a short while? She looked up at Will, seeing an almost hopeful expression on his face. "A-Alright then, I will stay for a little bit."

Will smiled and then shifting the pie slightly so he was holding it with one hand, he held out his arm to Rosalie. "Shall we go upstairs then, milady?"

Rosalie blushed at his choice of words, but then she remembered something. "My driver is waiting for me. I should go and tell him I'll be a while and that he should come back later."

"I'll go and tell him. You go and serve up. There should be some plates in the cupboard," said Will, handing her the pie again.

Rosalie nodded and then turned and carefully climbed the wooden stairs up to Will's loft. Something suddenly occurred to her. If this place was owned by a Mr. Brown, then where in the world was he? She hadn't seen him at all, in all the times she had been here. She shrugged her shoulders, deciding to question Will about it later and carried the pie over to a table that stood in one corner of the room.

She looked around, spotted a cupboard and opened it to find some plates and cups. She took out two plates, put them down next to the pie and then looked around for some cutlery. She saw a dresser and thinking that would be a good place to look, headed towards it. She opened the top drawer but instead of finding cutlery like she had hoped she found some papers. She went to close the drawer but then something caught her eye. There on the very top of the pile lay a folded piece of paper with Will's name neatly written on it.

Rosalie paused and glanced behind her and then back at the folded piece of paper. She knew she shouldn't look but there was just something about it that made her want to read it. She bit her lip, glanced behind her once more and then took out the paper. Carefully unfolding it she discovered it was a letter, written in neat flowing handwriting. Even though she was even more sure now that it was wrong of her to be looking at it and that it was clearly private, she couldn't force herself to return it back to the drawer. She listened out carefully for the sound of Will coming back up the stairs but she couldn't hear anything, so ignoring the voice in her head screaming at her to put the letter back she began to read.

_Dear Will_

_It seems like ages since I last saw you. We both seem to be so busy all the time. My father won't let me come and visit you but I would love for you to come and visit me. I know I must sound selfish and perhaps I am but I do miss you, Will. I want us to still be friends. We have been through so much together that it would be a shame for us to throw it all away. _

_I know you must be hurting and I don't blame you if you hate me but I only did what I did because I had to and it was right. I know it was and I know one day you will realize this too. I still have so much to say to you, so much to explain. I need to explain why I did what I did. I am so afraid you think me hard and heartless, when that couldn't be further from the truth. I did what I did because I love you. I still love you. _

_Please come and see me, Will._

_Love Elizabeth._

Rosalie re-read the letter and then just stared at it. It was clear to her that she had just read something very personal and for that she felt even worse for letting curiosity get the better of her.

Was this Elizabeth the same Elizabeth that Andrew was convinced Will still loved? She supposed it was as it would be too much of a coincidence if it was not. She re-read the line, _I still love you._ When had she sent this letter? Had Will gone to visit her, she wondered. What had happened? If Elizabeth still loved Will like she said, then why were they not together now?

Rosalie was suddenly started from her thoughts by the letter being tugged from her grasp. She turned and found Will standing behind her, glaring furiously at her.

"I thought I told you to get some plates, not to go snooping around," he said, angrily. Rosalie gulped as she looked up at him. His normally peaceful brown eyes were practically flashing with anger.

"I-I was just l-looking for some cutlery," said Rosalie, quickly. "I know it was wrong of me to look but I couldn't help myself. I am so sorry." She took a small step closer, trying to communicate to him just how sorry she was. She felt awful.

"This is private!" said Will, waving the letter. "You had no right to go looking through my things."

"I know!" said Rosalie, almost desperately. "I just…just…I don't know. I just saw it there."

"And you decided to read it even though you knew it was private."

"No! No. I'm afraid I'm too nosy for my own good sometimes. I saw your name and being the nosy and stupid person I am couldn't resist having a look. Please Mr. Turner, I didn't mean any harm. I am really _really_ sorry."

Seeing that she was being sincere, Will's face softened and sighing he took a step back and ran a hand through his hair. "I know you're sorry. I didn't mean to get so angry. It's just this letter is…is…"

"Really important to you," whispered Rosalie softly, looking down at her shoes.

Will looked at her and gave a small smile. "Yeah. That's it."

Rosalie slowly looked up and was surprised to see Will looking at her with a small smile on his face. His eyes had lost their angry look and even though he still looked a bit upset he had calmed down now. "I _am_ really sorry you know," she said, sincerely.

"I know you are," said Will, with a nod. Then he sighed again. "I shouldn't leave things I don't want to be found just anywhere anyway. It's partly my own fault."

"No, it's not," said Rosalie, quickly. "It's not your fault at all. I should have just left it where it was. It was my fault for being nosy." Will chuckled at this and Rosalie smiled slightly. "I-I should get going now," she muttered finally.

"What? I thought you were going to stay?" asked Will, frowning.

"Well I…after this…I just…" stuttered Rosalie.

"There is still far too much for me to eat on my own," said Will, holding her gaze. "I would be pleased if you would stay."

Rosalie smiled, her cheeks reddening. "I would like to stay too."

"Good," said Will with his own grin and then he shrugged. "And anyway I've just sent your carriage away. It won't be back for a while yet."

Rosalie laughed and then she headed back to the table. "The pie should still be warm. I need something to serve it and I think we might need spoons."

Will nodded and then went over to the dresser, opening the second drawer this time and taking out two spoons and a larger serving spoon. He returned his letter to the top drawer and then went to the table. He handed Rosalie the serving spoon and then placed the other spoons down as he turned to watch Rosalie serve up.

Will grinned when he saw Rosalie blush even more after she glanced his way to see him watching her. "It smells delicious," he said.

"Thank you. My sister-in-law helped make it, so I can't take all the credit," said Rosalie, concentrating on what she was doing. When she had finished serving up, she handed him a plate and then they sat down and began to eat.

"How are you feeling since your attack?" asked Will carefully, after a few minutes of silent eating.

"I'm good," said Rosalie, smiling. "I try not to think about it too much though."

"Do you think you could recognize the man who attacked you?" asked Will, as he stood up and took his and Rosalie's plates to the small sink in the corner.

"I don't know," answered Rosalie honestly. "I mean it all happened so quickly and the shock of what happened has…blurred the details I suppose."

Will smiled as he came back to the table. "I'm sure your brother will work hard to catch the man," he said, reassuringly.

"Yes," said Rosalie, nodding. She looked up and met Will's gaze head-on. "But I've been thinking about what that man said. He knew my name, and I know that it's probably nothing to worry about but I can't help but worry. I mean what if there is a reason for why that man attacked me? What if he comes back?"

"I can't think of a reason why that man would attack you for a specific reason," said Will. "You just got unlucky."

Rosalie sighed. "I know that. But there is a part of me that can't stop thinking about it."

"Your brother will make sure that the man is caught and he gets what he deserves."

"I know," said Rosalie. "You probably think I'm being silly and worrying over nothing, don't you?"

Will shook his head vehemently and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "No, I don't. I don't blame you for being worried and scared. Anyone would be the same in your position."

Rosalie smiled and squeezed his hand back. "Thank you. You have been a real help, you know. It's good to know I have someone apart from my brother and sister-in-law that I can rely on if I need them."

"It's nothing," said Will, enjoying the feel of her hand in his. "I'm just glad I can be of help to you." Rosalie's smile widened. They sat quietly for a few more moments, during which Will thought he should probably let go of her hand. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Sitting there next to her and holding her hand just felt right. But Rosalie spoke up then and made the decision for him.

"I should really get going now. I've had a lovely time but my brother doesn't want me out for long, not after what happened," she said.

"I understand," said Will. He looked out the window. "Your carriage should be back by now anyway." He got to his feet and offered Rosalie an arm. She took it and he led her back down into the shop and they found the carriage was indeed waiting outside. "Thank you for the pie, Miss Middleton," he said smiling at the young woman as she turned to look at him.

"It was my pleasure," said Rosalie. "I wanted to do something to thank you."

Will nodded and then opened the carriage door for her. "Will l see you soon?"

"Yes," said Rosalie, grinning.

"Good day then," said Will, taking her hand once she was seated and kissing it softly.

"Good day Mr. Turner," said Rosalie, wondering if her cheeks were ever not red in his presence.

Will closed the door and then watched as the carriage came to life and rolled away.

**xxxxxx**

"So did Mr. Turner like the pie?" asked Charlotte, later that evening in Rosalie's bedroom.

"Yes," said Rosalie, not wanting to divulge any further.

"It took you a long time to deliver it," said Charlotte, the corner of her mouth quirking into a smirk.

"Well…h-he asked me to stay," said Rosalie, blushing. "Just for a bit."

"Did he now?"

"He couldn't eat all of it by himself," said Rosalie, quickly.

"Of course," said Charlotte, with a smile that clearly screamed _do you really expect me to believe that?_

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"I'm just kidding," said Charlotte with a giggle. "It's getting late and I've got a letter to write before going to bed so I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight," said Charlotte smiling, and she left the room leaving Rosalie to her thoughts.

She still felt awful about reading that letter of Will's like she had. She was surprised that Will had still wanted her to stay after what she had done. She wouldn't have blamed him if he hadn't. Then her thoughts turned again, as they had many times since the attack, to what that man had said to her.

She crossed to her dressing table and reached up to take the pins out of her hair, meaning to store them safely away in her jewellery box. She opened the box, dropped the pins inside and then went to close it. But before she could, something caught her attention. There was a corner of some paper sticking out of the lining at the bottom of the box, and wondering why she had never noticed it before, she pulled at it to find the bottom of the box was loose. Curiously she popped up the flimsy bottom and out fell two pieces of paper and a small pendant on a chain.

She gasped and picked up the pendant. It was a small deep blue pendant that was an odd shape. It was attached to a fine silver chain.

She stared at it as her thoughts sped down a certain path - an impossible one. It couldn't be. It was not possible that this was the necklace that that crazy man had wanted her to give him.

**A/N: **And there it is! I hope you liked it! **Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**Author's Note: **Hey everybody! I'm really sorry for the longer than usual wait between chapters but life is life. This is a nice long chapter though so I hope that makes up for it!

Anyway a huge thank you to all my readers and reviewers – **Idril**, **a reviewer, brunette25-08**, **kadience**, **ShopGirl1**, **cHoCoLaTe-RuM**, **Bellatrix13 **and **fireyscarlet**! Yay! Lots of reviews! Thanks for the kind comments and advice!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter Nine**

Will was working down in the shop. It was getting late now but he had needed to do something to take his mind off everything else. Rosalie Middleton had visited him that afternoon and had brought him an apple pie. Will smiled at the memory, thinking it was very kind of her to go to the bother of making it. He had also been pleased when he had managed to persuade her to stay for a bit. He enjoyed spending time with that young woman very much and he found that when with her, he almost forgot everything he had been through over the last year. He couldn't remember feeling so happy, well not since before Elizabeth had called off their engagement.

Will's heart gave a thud when he remembered finding Rosalie reading his letter from Elizabeth. He had felt so angry. How dare she go looking through his belongings? And then the fact that she went and actually read it made him very angry indeed. Couldn't she tell it was something private? But then when she had apologised and Will had seen that she really did mean it, he had calmed down and managed to control his temper. She hadn't deliberately snooped through his drawers and he could understand why her curiosity had gotten the better of her. He could only scold himself for leaving the letter in a place where it could so easily be found.

Will had received that letter about two months earlier and had not replied or responded to it in any way at all. In fact he hadn't seen Elizabeth much at all since that night when she had told him she couldn't marry him.

When he had first got the letter, Will had been angry that Elizabeth had had the gall to write to him, asking him to go and see her. She had been the one to call off the engagement, to announce she wasn't in love with him anymore. Did she not realize that it would be torture for him to go and visit her? Did she not realize that she had taken his heart and torn it apart by telling him she didn't want to marry him? Will had seen as little of Elizabeth as he could since the night she had called their engagement off. He had deliberately avoided her as he knew seeing her would drag up all the feelings he was desperately trying to forget. It was hard and there had been moments in the beginning when it had been difficult for him to carry on but he was slowly putting the pieces of his life back together and trying to make a life without Elizabeth. He knew that seeing her again would hurt and make it ten times as hard for him to put her behind him.

Will sighed and put down the cutlass he was working on. And to top it all off he had broken his promise to try and stay away from Rosalie - again. He growled in frustration and went over to the sink to wash his hands. He could clearly remember himself saying that it would be best for him to steer clear of Miss Middleton for a while, but that very afternoon he'd been the one to invite her to stay. It was as if he couldn't help himself, as if he couldn't stop wanting to see her even though it was against his better judgment.

Suddenly he was dragged from his thoughts by a sharp knocking on the door. Will turned and walked towards the door, wondering who in hell could be calling in on him at this hour. He pulled open the door and to his astonishment came face to face with the subject of his musings.

"Miss Middleton!" he exclaimed in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"M-Mr. Turner, I really need to speak with you," said Rosalie, who was trying to get her breath back. She was clutching her cloak closed and her hood was up shielding her face. "Please Mr. Turner! This is really important!"

"You had better come in then," said Will, stepping back to let her past. He looked around the deserted street outside and then closed the door before turning to face the young woman. She seemed to be very worried about something and this was reason enough for Will to worry himself.

"I'm sorry for barging in on you like this and I know this is in-proper of me, but you were the first person I thought to tell," said Rosalie, reaching up to pull back her hood.

"It's alright," said Will, distractedly. He couldn't help but notice how her hair was falling out of her up-do, falling around her face prettily. "You know you're welcome here anytime." He gestured for her to take a seat and then sat down opposite her. He stared at her intently, ready to listen to what she wanted to tell him. It was obviously something important to her.

"You remember we came to the conclusion that I was attacked just because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?" asked Rosalie. Will nodded. "Well I don't think that anymore."

"So you think that man targeted you deliberately?" asked Will, frowning.

"Yes," said Rosalie, nodding. "I do."

"What makes you think that?" asked Will, thoroughly confused. He thought they had talked through this. They had decided it was simply an opportunist attack and nothing for anybody to really worry about.

"I-I've found something," said Rosalie. Will looked at her, his brow furrowed. She let go of her cloak and pulled something out of the pocket of her gown, placing it down on the table.

Will frowned as he realized it was a necklace. He picked it up and stared at the pendant, wondering why she was showing this to him. He looked up and gave her a quizzical look.

Rosalie reached back into the pocket of her gown. "I found these too," she said, as she placed two folded pieces of paper down on the table top too.

Will picked one up and unfolded it carefully, before gazing at it. His somewhat bewildered expression turned to shock and he looked up at her with wide eyes. "Is this a map?"

"It looks like one," said Rosalie, nodding. She tapped the other piece of paper with a finger. "And this one is a letter."

"A letter?"

"Yes…it's a letter addressed to me," said Rosalie.

"To you?" asked Will, now even more bewildered. "Where did you find them?"

"In my jewellery box," replied Rosalie, unfolding the letter and smoothing it out. "They were hidden in the bottom. I never knew they were there."

"But it's addressed to you?" said Will.

"It is," said Rosalie. "It says that the necklace is a key and that the map shows the location of some treasure."

"Treasure?" said Will. "Why would someone leave you a treasure map and a key? Is the letter signed?"

"Yes," said Rosalie. She paused and looked down before looking back up at him. "It is from my father."

"Your father?" asked Will. "Why would your father have a treasure map?"

"I don't know," said Rosalie. She looked down at the letter. "He says he hid it for safe keeping."

"Safe keeping?" said Will, staring at the map. "But why would your father have a treasure map in the first place?"

"I don't know," repeated Rosalie, picking up the necklace. She looked up at Will again. "I just don't know. My father was a good man, Mr. Turner. He loved my mother, my brother and me. He would never have got involved in treasure hunts and keys."

"I'm not suggesting that he wasn't a good man," said Will, gently. "But from what we have here, it looks as if he knew about some treasure."

Rosalie shook her head. "But how did he know? How did he get his hands on a map…and a key?"

Will sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I can't answer you that. All we know is that you now have a treasure map and a key. Your father must have thought hiding it with you was safe."

Rosalie's eyes widened suddenly. "But it's not safe! That man knew! He knew somehow that I had the necklace. He knew, Mr. Turner!"

"We don't know that."

"Of course we know!" said Rosalie, making a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh. "He asked me for a necklace. I don't know how he knew that I had it but he knew." Rosalie looked down at the papers and at the necklace in her hand. "What am I going to do?"

Will noticed the underlying fear in her voice and reached for her hand. "Have you shown these to your brother yet?"

Rosalie looked up and shook her head quickly. "No, of course I haven't!"

"Well I think that is the first thing you need to do. The sooner he knows the full story the better," said Will, calmly.

"I can't do that," replied Rosalie, appalled.

"Why not?" said Will; his brow furrowed. "He needs to know. He's trying to catch that man who attacked you isn't he?"

"But I can't show him this," said Rosalie, waving the necklace. "My brother has worked so hard to be where he is today. This could ruin his career!"

Will gave her hand a squeeze, knowing what she was thinking. "This won't ruin his career. We don't even know the circumstances that caused for this map to fall into your father's hands. Your brother would want to know about this. It's obviously more serious than we first thought so it's even more important that they catch this man."

"Alright…I will tell him," said Rosalie with a sigh. "I don't know how…but I will."

"It's the best thing to do," said Will, wishing there was more that he could do.

"I know," replied Rosalie. She looked up at Will. "I am sorry for interrupting your evening and I know that this is very in-proper to come uninvited at such an hour but…well you were the first person I thought of that I could tell."

"I don't mind," said Will, quirking a smile. "It was nice to have a visitor."

Rosalie practically beamed at him and then blushed as she tried to smooth down her hair. "I must look a mess though. I just grabbed my cloak and ran straight here after finding the letter."

Will's smile vanished in an instant. "Does anyone know you're here?"

Rosalie slowly shook her head. "No."

"What?" asked Will, shocked. "Have you forgotten what happened only the other day?"

"No," answered Rosalie. "Of course I haven't."

"Then why couldn't it have waited until morning? It's dangerous out there at this time of night!" said Will, disbelief evident on his face. "What possessed you-"

"I was scared!" interrupted Rosalie, clearly upset. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. "I am sorry but I needed someone to talk to. You were the first person I thought of and I _thought _you wouldn't mind."

Will's stomach clenched and he lowered his head. "I don't mind," he said quietly. "I'm sorry for shouting. I was just surprised that's all."

"I know it was foolish," said Rosalie, bowing her head too. "I didn't think. I just left."

Will just stared at the top of her head. His anger had faded fast and now he just felt guilty. After a moments hesitation he got to his feet and kneeled down on the ground in front of her. "I'm sorry if I upset you."

Rosalie looked up and stared at him with wide eyes. "You don't need to apologise. I'm the one in the wrong here."

"Yes, I do. I should have understood. You needed someone to talk to. I'm honoured that you chose me," said Will, smiling gently.

Rosalie blushed and smiled back. But it faded quickly when she remembered something else. "I think I owe you another apology too. I feel awful about reading that letter of yours and I don't think I said sorry properly before."

Will's smile had faded too. "It's alright," he said, trying to keep his tone light. "I know you're sorry so let's just forget about it."

"I-I've heard about E-Elizabeth and what happened between the two of you," said Rosalie, quietly.

Will tensed up. "You have?"

"Yes," said Rosalie. "And I-I'm sorry."

"It's alright," said Will with a shake of his head. "It's in the past now. I've got through it and I'd rather not talk about it."

"But it must have been awful…" pressed Rosalie.

"It was…"

Rosalie slowly reached out and laid her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure she wants you to be happy. She will be pleased that you're moving on with your life."

"Yeah, you're probably right," said Will with a small smile.

Rosalie returned his smile, feeling pleased that he had lightened up slightly. "I bet there are plenty of young ladies who'd love to marry you-"

In a flash, Will was on his feet. "I don't believe this!"

"Sorry?" asked Rosalie, frowning.

"My private life is none of yours and anybody else's business," said Will, his voice low.

"I d-don't…I mean…I k-know it's none of my business," stuttered Rosalie, shocked at the angry expression on the man's face.

"Don't play the innocent," snapped Will. "You're just like all the other nosy people in this town. Are you reporting back to all your little friends? Did you hope to hear the full story?"

"No," replied Rosalie, gritting her teeth, "I don't know where you've got that idea from?"

"I've already found you snooping through my private belongings," said Will, his voice rising slightly. "Then you bring _her _up, when you know I don't want to talk about her. What do you expect me to think?"

"I was trying to be kind," hissed Rosalie.

"I don't need your sympathy!" replied Will, turning away from her. "I'm fine now."

"I know you are-"

"Then why bring it up, eh? I bet you've heard the stories that have been flying around since the engagement was called off, and wanted to find out what really happened," said Will venomously. "I'm sick and tired of being the topic of everyone else's gossip! Why can't everyone find something better to talk about?"

Rosalie's patience was wearing thin. But instead of slapping the man like she wanted to do she said, "And you've come to the conclusion that I'm one of them?"

"Yes," said Will. "Well aren't you?"

"No, I'm not!" retorted Rosalie, angrily. "What have I done to really warrant such an accusation?"

"I've already told you-"

"I was being friendly! You've been so kind to me and I wanted to repay the favour!" she snapped.

"I haven't got time for this," answered Will wearily. "I'll walk you back. It's late and I don't think your brother will be too pleased to find that you're out with a common _blacksmith."_

Rosalie bit her tongue to stop herself from screaming at him. What was wrong with him? Why was he being so stupid? So instead she scooped up the necklace and papers and stuffed them back into the pocket of her gown. "You don't have to. I'm sure I could manage on my own."

"Your brother would kill me if he found out I let you walk home on your own," said Will. Without another word he grabbed his jacket and took her arm, leading her out the shop.

Rosalie followed him, grumbling under her breath. She tried to wrap her cloak tighter around herself as she struggled to keep up with Will's long strides. She glanced up at Will's profile and scowled at him but didn't say anything.

They walked in silence all the way back to Rosalie's house and as they walked up the path she pulled her arm free. She walked around the side of the house, to the back door that led into the kitchen and slipped back into the house. She frowned when she noticed that Will had followed her inside. He stood just inside the door, staring at the floor sullenly with his hands deep in his pockets.

"Well you've walked me back. You can go now," said Rosalie brusquely. She went to usher him out of the door.

Will's expression changed instantly. "Miss Middleton, wait please."

"I think you've said enough," said Rosalie.

"Please let me say something," said Will quickly, talking a step towards her.

"No, you may not," she replied. "You've already told me what you really think of me. I'm delighted that you have such a high opinion of me."

"Please I-"

"It's late and I am tired so if you'll please excuse me," interrupted Rosalie. She turned and went to leave the room but was suddenly halted by Will grabbing her arm.

"Miss Middleton, please let me explain," pleaded Will, looking into her eyes.

Rosalie looked down, sighed and nodded.

"I want to apologise. I shouldn't have said those things," he said softly. "I didn't mean any of it. I'm just fed up with people talking about me and Elizabeth behind our backs and trying to butt their way into our lives. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. I know you were just being kind. I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you are," said Rosalie, quietly. He was very close now. She was suddenly aware that her breathing had sped up and she was quite sure her face was flushed. Her arm was tingling from where he was holding it and she wondered if she should try and remove her arm from his grip. But all such thoughts vanished from her mind when her eyes met his dark brown ones.

"I _am_ really sorry, Rosalie," said Will, staring deeply into her eyes.

Rosalie felt herself melting and she had to stop herself leaning into his body. Her breath caught in her throat at his use of her first name.

"I hope you can forgive me," he finished.

"I-I forgive you," answered Rosalie and she sighed internally when Will released her arm. She heard someone cough behind them and she turned quickly to find Andrew standing in the doorway. Her eyes widened and she blushed a deep red before turning back to Will. "I should be getting to bed," she said softly.

"Of course," said Will, nodding his head.

"Goodnight," said Rosalie.

"Goodnight Miss Middleton," said Will.

Rosalie turned towards her brother. "I'll see you in the morning, Andrew."

"Goodnight Rosalie," he said.

Rosalie was unable to read his expression and after glancing back at Will one last time, left the room leaving the two men alone.

**A/N: **I hope you liked it! Please **r****eview! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **Ta da!! Another chapter! I know it's been a while again since I last updated, but I think this is the longest chapter yet so I hope that makes up for it! I am really enjoying writing this story and have got lots planned so please keep coming back!

Thank you to all my readers and wonderful reviewers – **potcfan**, **kadience**, **cHoCoLaTe-RuM**, **a reviewer**, **HeRmY-gRaNgEr**, **chainganggrl21**! I love hearing from you! So please keep reading and reviewing! Happy holidays, everyone!

**Chapter Ten**

Rosalie growled in frustration as she threw her cloak over the back of a chair and plopped down on the stool in front of her dressing table. Why did that man affect her so much? Why did just looking into Will Turner's eyes practically turn her to goo?

She sighed when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Sections of her hair had come loose and had tumbled down from the once perfect arrangement on top of her head. She scowled at herself and then began to pull the pins from her hair.

She didn't understand it. She had been so mad at him. He had accused her of only being nice to him just so she could get the latest gossip. She had never felt so insulted. Did he really think so little of her? No. He had apologized to her. He had explained that he'd misjudged her and tainted her with the same brush as all the nosy townsfolk, who had nothing better to do than gossip about the handsome blacksmith and the Governor's daughter.

She ran her fingers through her hair trying to de-tangle it and stared at her reflection, feeling beyond irritated with herself. She should have just left straightaway or yelled at him and told him just what she thought of his behaviour. Instead she had forgiven him, just because she had found herself in-capable of doing anything else under his intense gaze. She shivered as she remembered the way she had felt down in the kitchen and the way she had yearned to move even closer to him.

Her face reddened at this thought and she tried to push all such thoughts out of her mind. She shouldn't be feeling like that. She should still be angry with him. But she couldn't force herself to feel that any longer. It seemed she wasn't able to feel mad at that man for long. Besides he had been sorry. She could see it in his eyes, the way he had held her arm.

Rosalie jumped when someone knocked suddenly on her bedroom door. She got up, crossed to the door and opened it to find her brother standing on the other side. "Andrew?" she said, surprised, standing back to allow him into her room.

"I'm sorry about intruding in on you like this," he said as she closed the door again and turned to face him. "But there is something I would like to tell you."

"Oh, well go on then," she said, slightly impatiently. She was still feeling irritated from the evening's events and just wanted to get to bed. _This had better be important,_ she thought to herself.

"I've just been talking to Turner," said Andrew, acting oblivious to his sister's mood. "I thanked him for looking after you, the other day."

"That's nice," said Rosalie, hoping he's hurry up and get on with it.

"And…well I've invited him here tomorrow for tea," he continued.

Rosalie's eyes widened. "Y-You…what?"

"I invited him here for tea," repeated Andrew, "to say thank you."

Rosalie didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to feel about this piece of unexpected news. "W-Well that was very…err…nice of you, Andrew."

Andrew nodded, quietly studying her for her reaction. It was obvious something had happened between her and Turner. He had felt it when he walked in on them in the kitchen. The pair of them had appeared quite flustered and the air had been thick with tension. "I want to repay him in some way."

"Y-Yes," said Rosalie slightly breathlessly. She turned and sat down on the edge of her bed. She could feel her brother watching her and thought that he must surely be wondering what had happened between her and Will. What could she tell him though? He would not be happy if he found out she'd sneaked out the house to go and see the blacksmith. He would probably be furious. But the decision was made for her, when her brother spoke again.

"Turner told me that you sneaked out to see him, Rosalie."

Rosalie looked up instantly. "He told you that? That is it! That man is-"

"Don't blame Mr. Turner for this!" said Andrew, sharply. "You were the one to sneak out, without my permission, without even informing me first, to go and see him. He did the right thing by telling me."

Rosalie looked down shamefully and said quietly, "I'm sorry, Andrew. I didn't mean to worry anyone."

Andrew sighed. "I know you didn't, but you really need to start thinking before just doing what you feel like."

Rosalie nodded her head, still not able to look up at him. "I know, Andrew."

Andrew sighed again and held out his arms. "Come here."

Rosalie slowly looked up and then hurried into his arms, burying her face in his chest. She couldn't stop a few tears escaping from beneath her eyelids and she tried to wipe them away without Andrew noticing. "I'm sorry that I worry you so much," she whispered.

Andrew gave her a squeeze. "It's what big brothers are for, Rosalie. Just promise me not to do it again."

"I promise," answered Rosalie before pulling back and looking up at her brother. "You look tired, Andrew. Go to bed."

"I will," said Andrew, kissing her forehead. "Sleep well, Rosalie."

"You too Andrew," said Rosalie. He smiled and then left her alone.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie was stood by her bedroom window, staring out at the ocean when Charlotte came into her room the following morning.

"Beautiful view isn't it?" said Charlotte, moving to stand beside her sister-in-law.

Rosalie turned to smile at her. "It is. I've always loved the ocean."

Charlotte smiled and they both turned to face the window again. "I hear you're expecting a visit from a certain blacksmith."

Rosalie turned her back on the window with a groan. "Andrew invited him around as a thank you gesture for him looking after me the other day."

"That was nice of him," said Charlotte, smiling. "Are you looking forward to seeing Mr. Turner?"

"Honestly I don't know," replied Rosalie, sighing. "I saw him last night and well we…we had an argument and I feel really awkward about seeing him again."

Charlotte gave her a stern look. "Yes, Andrew told me about you sneaking out to the smithy last night. I hope you realize how silly it was of you to do that."

"I know it was," said Rosalie earnestly. "But now Mr. Turner is coming and I really don't know if I can face him."

Charlotte put her arm around Rosalie's shoulders. "Was the argument really that bad?"

"It was awful, Charlotte," said Rosalie. "He got it into his head that I was trying to wheedle my way into his affections, just so I could get the gossip about what happened between him and Miss Swann."

"Oh my, how horrible," said Charlotte. Then her eyes narrowed considerably. "Do you know about Elizabeth?"

Rosalie blushed and shifted guiltily from one foot to the other. "W-Well I happened to overhear you and Andrew discussing her and Mr. Turner."

"Well fancy that," said Charlotte, smirking. "You just happened to _overhear _us." Rosalie's face reddened and Charlotte laughed.

"I didn't really mean to overhear," said Rosalie quickly. "I just…did."

"It's alright, Rosalie," said Charlotte with a smile. Then her smile faded and she seemed almost concerned. "I hope you didn't pay too much attention to what you heard. Will and Elizabeth were in love once but that was before and things change."

"Why do you think I would care if they were still in love or not?" asked Rosalie, hastily.

Charlotte faltered and stuttered, "W-Well I'm not saying you would, but I know you and he are close and well I thought-"

"We are friends," interrupted Rosalie. "That's all."

"I know that. I'm just saying that…well you don't need to worry about it. I think Mr. Turner seems to have gotten over it now," said Charlotte.

"I don't think one can ever get over what happened to him," said Rosalie, her expression sad. "If he has gotten over her then that's good, but if he still does have feelings for Miss Swann, well that's understandable. I just hope he sorts them out one day. However it is of no real consequence to me…well except I would rather he was happy of course."

"Of course," said Charlotte. At that moment there came a knock at the door and the two women turned to find Andrew coming into the room.

"I was wondering if I could have a word with my sister, Charlotte?" said Andrew, smiling at his wife.

"Of course you can," said Charlotte. "I'll see you downstairs in a bit." She walked over to Andrew, gave him a quick kiss and then left the room.

"How are you this morning?" Andrew asked Rosalie, walking over to where Rosalie was standing in front of the window.

"I'm well," smiled Rosalie. "I've just been admiring the view. It is beautiful."

"It is that," said Andrew, staring out at the ocean too. He then turned to his sister. "Are you looking forward to seeing Turner later?"

"I suppose I am," answered Rosalie, blushing.

"Good," said Andrew. "I know you and he have become close."

Rosalie blushed harder. _What is it with everyone today,_ she thought. "We have become friends, yes," she said instead.

Andrew turned back to the window and cleared his throat. "I feel it is my duty to tell you that Mr. Turner has been known to keep un-favourable company."

"And?"

"Well I'm just warning you-"

"Mr. Turner seems very honourable to me," said Rosalie.

"I'm not saying he isn't," said Andrew. "All I'm saying is...well Mr. Turner has been known to keep company with a pirate."

"A pirate?" echoed Rosalie, surprised. "Oh gosh, well that is a shock. But Mr. Turner isn't like that. He is a good, kind man…who has rescued me from harm twice now."

"I know Mr. Turner is a good man. He has proved that! I owe him deeply for everything he has done for you," said Andrew. "And I know really he only joined forces with that pirate to s-…well because he had no other choice. He has never committed any real crime…well he has…but only because of loyalty and honour and…look, I am just trying to say I want you to be careful."

"I will be, so don't worry," smiled Rosalie, touched by her brother's worry. "I am friends with Mr. Turner not the pirate. I have not and I do not plan to spend any time with this pirate."

Andrew smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "I know you will be careful. I've got some work to do up at the fort this morning but I will be back this afternoon in time for tea."

"I'll see you then," said Rosalie, smiling.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie sat nervously as Emily did her hair. The morning had flown by and it was now nearly time for afternoon tea. Will would soon be arriving and Rosalie was feeling decidedly sick.

"There you are," said Emily, putting the last pin in Rosalie's hair with a flourish. "You're all ready for your visitor now."

"Thank you Emily," replied Rosalie, blushing. She got to her feet, straightened out her cream dress and headed down the stairs as she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

She wasn't quite sure what she was feeling. It was a cross between nervousness and annoyance. She was nervous about seeing Will again but was also still feeling remnants of annoyance from yesterday's argument. She wasn't sure how she was going to react to seeing the man again so soon, and she was also mildly irritated at her brother for inviting him without even consulting her first.

She had just reached the bottom of the staircase when the doorbell rang and Henry rushed to open it. Andrew came out of his study and with slight trepidation Rosalie looked towards the door as her brother moved forward to greet their visitor.

Will looked up and met her gaze as soon as he had stepped over the threshold, and to her great annoyance she felt her cheeks blush crimson as he flashed a hesitant smile. He then turned his attention to her brother and Rosalie reluctantly stepped forward to greet him properly.

"It is good that you could join us, Turner," said Andrew, holding out his hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," answered Will, taking his hand and shaking it briefly.

Rosalie noted that he kept glancing around nervously and thought that he didn't seem very comfortable in his current surroundings. Rosalie allowed herself a small smile; she wasn't fond of attending tea parties either. She imagined Will would rather be back at the smithy than sitting around drinking tea, making small talk and worrying about breaking the china.

"Ah! Here is my sister. I'm sure she is the person who wants to thank you the most," said Andrew, stepping back and pushing her forward slightly.

"My brother is indeed right," said Rosalie, unable to look Will directly in the eye. "I feel I will forever be in your debt."

"Please, don't feel that way," said Will quickly. "I didn't do anything that amazing. I just did what anyone would have done."

Rosalie felt a slight tugging of her heart at his words. _Perhaps he doesn't really care about me at all, _she thought. Trying to appear un-fazed, she met his gaze and continued, "Even so, I wish to thank you profusely. I do not know what I would have done if it had not been for you."

"It was my pleasure," said Will, not voicing that it wasn't entirely un-selfish on his part. He had enjoyed her company. "I hope I can be of assistance to you again in the future."

Rosalie allowed herself a fleeting smile and then Andrew spoke up.

"I don't know about anyone else but I am hungry. Shall we go through?"

Rosalie smiled and nodded her head. She went to step forward and take her brother's arm but before she could do so, Will had quickly stepped forward and offered her his arm instead.

Andrew raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Instead he turned and started down the hallway saying over his shoulder, "If you will please follow me."

Rosalie looked up at Will and slowly took his arm, feeling the butterflies in her stomach multiply. He gave her a small smile, which she half returned and they set off after Andrew.

Will glanced down at her as they walked along, feeling his heart clench painfully. She was looking straight forward and was holding his arm very loosely. There was a good gap between them and he got the feeling she was deliberately keeping as much distance between them as she could. This saddened him because he had a good idea why she was doing it. He felt like kicking himself. He had acted idiotically last night and now he was deeply worried that he had ruined their friendship completely. She had done nothing wrong and he had acted like a complete ass.

He stared down at her again, wishing he could erase what had happened. He didn't know how he could even start to make it up to her. He wanted to pull her closer but stopped himself, knowing that would probably anger her more if anything. Instead he leaned closer and whispered, "I am deeply sorry for the way I behaved last night."

Rosalie glanced at him for a second before turning to stare in front again. "I should jolly well think you are. I had hoped you had a higher opinion of me than that. It seems you can't know me at all," she said, a little curtly.

"No, I do-" he started, feeling hurt, but he was forced to stop speaking because they had reached the dining room. He pulled out a chair for Rosalie, for which he got a muttered thank you, and then took the seat beside her. He tried to catch her eye but Rosalie was looking down, busying herself with unfolding her napkin.

"My wife should be here in-…ah, here she is," said Andrew as Charlotte appeared in the room. Will stood up too as Andrew got to his feet to pull out a chair for her.

"Mr. Turner, it is lovely to see you," said Charlotte, once they were all seated.

"It was lovely for you to invite me," replied Will.

"I'm sure Rosalie is happy to see you especially," said Charlotte, glancing at the other woman. "Aren't you, Rosalie?"

Rosalie glanced at Will and hesitated before answering. "Yes, of course."

"I am happy to see you too," said Will smiling, "very much." He was rewarded with her first true smile of the afternoon and he dared to hope that perhaps he hadn't ruined everything after all.

For the next half hour the four of them enjoyed some tea and cake and by the time they had finished eating Rosalie had found her mood had improved considerably. Whilst she did still feel annoyed with the blacksmith, the hurt and anger that she had felt earlier had gone and the wound to her pride had healed. She actually started to enjoy herself.

"How is business at the moment?" Andrew asked Will as they polished off the cake. "It is good, I trust?"

Will smiled and nodded his head. "You trust right. Business is very good at the moment."

"That is good," said Andrew. "I am always very pleased with my orders."

The tips of Will's ears reddened and he bowed his head slightly. "That is kind of you to say, sir."

_Will Turner is indeed much better company than Lieutenant Wexley,_ thought Rosalie as she watched the man converse with her brother about business. He glanced her way at one moment and Rosalie quickly looked down, hoping her face wouldn't betray her.

Henry chose that moment to appear and Rosalie breathed a sigh of relief when Will's attention was drawn away from her.

"You have a letter, sir," said Henry, holding a large gold plate out to her brother. Andrew took the folded note from the plate and thanked the butler, who bowed and left quickly, before he opened the letter and scanned it. He sighed and slipped the letter into his pocket.

"I am afraid urgent business requires my attention," he said, getting to his feet. "I'm sure you two can entertain our guest in my absence though."

"I was just going to ask if your sister would like to take a walk with me in the garden," said Will, standing up too. "That is if it is agreeable with you, of course."

Andrew seemed to consider him for a moment before he nodded his head. "That is fine with me. Would you care to join Mr. Turner, Rosalie?"

Will turned to Rosalie, suddenly afraid that she would say no. But she didn't. Instead she smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I would like that."

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie quickly regretted agreeing though, when she realized just how alone they were in the garden. Will had taken her hand and tucked it through his arm, leading her down the path that led around the garden.

Rosalie swallowed as she glanced back at the house, wondering if it would be appropriate to suggest that Charlotte accompanied them. Even though she was indeed feeling more comfortable around the blacksmith now and her anger had diminished, it was somewhat more different out in the garden where they were very much alone and she didn't have the protection of her brother and Charlotte. She felt incredibly uncomfortable and wondered how long it would take for the topic of last night to be brought up.

Her heart quickened when Will stopped walking and turned to face her.

"I owe you an apology. I acted abysmally last night and I want you to know that I regret it with all my heart," he said, looking into her eyes and then bowing his head apologetically.

"I can tell," said Rosalie softly, unable to keep acting cold any longer.

"Do you accept my apology then?" asked Will, hopefully.

"I accepted it last night, didn't I?" she replied, giving a shy smile. Will's face broke into a smile and her heart leapt in her chest as he tightened his hold on her arm and started to walk again. She followed, trying to calm herself as Will spoke up again.

"I wondered if you'd tell your brother, about what happened between us," he said. "I take it that you haven't. The man wouldn't have been that friendly if you had, I'd wager."

Rosalie smiled and shook her head. "I did not. I did not think it would do any good. I didn't want to dwell on it for too long or I'm sure I would have exploded. I might have been angry with you but I didn't want my brother on your back too."

"That was very kind of you," said Will. Then he grinned. "You would have exploded? Well I don't mind if you want to now. I'm sure you would like to yell at me."

"Mr. Turner, I can not do that," said Rosalie with a smile. "Ladies do not yell. They sit and smile politely, even when being insulted by handsome blacksmiths…wishing they could smack them silly."

Will chuckled but then became serious once again. "I would deserve it."

Rosalie sighed. "You would…but let's just put it in the past shall we?"

Will smiled and nodded. Then his expression changed. "Do you think I'm handsome?" he asked with a tiny smirk.

Rosalie's eyes widened and she blushed. "W-Well…I-I…didn't say you in particular. I meant…in general."

"You know a lot of handsome blacksmiths?" asked Will, raising an eyebrow.

"N-No…"

Will smiled and Rosalie blushed.

"Would you like to sit down?" asked Will, changing the subject to Rosalie's immense relief.

"Yes," she replied and let him lead her over to a bench. She sat down, resting her hands in her lap and Will sat down beside her.

"Have you been thinking anymore about that letter you showed me?" he asked.

"I've been thinking of nothing else," said Rosalie. That was true. Apart from when worrying and fuming over Will, the necklace and her father's letter hadn't left her thoughts.

"Have you thought anymore about telling your brother?" asked Will, gently.

"No," said Rosalie with a shake of her head. "I can't tell him Mr. Turner, I just can't."

"Why can't you tell him?" asked Will.

Rosalie looked down into her lap. "It would ruin everything. My brother has worked so hard to get where he is today. If it gets out that…" She trailed off; thinking about what Andrew had told her earlier.

"That your father was involved with pirates?" asked Will.

"Y-Yes," said Rosalie. "I've got nothing against pirates, Mr. Turner but…well, this could ruin his career. Have you ever heard of a Lieutenant whose father is a pirate?"

Will almost chuckled but managed to hold it back. "He deserves to know. He would _want _to know," he told her.

"I know, but-"

"I'm sure your safety means a lot more to him that his career," said Will. "And what does it matter if your father was a pirate? You aren't pirates, are you? It has nothing to do with the two of you. And you don't even know for sure that your father _was _a pirate. All you know is that he has left you a key to some treasure."

Rosalie looked up. "It doesn't work like that though. You know it doesn't, Mr. Turner."

Will reached across and took her hand, looking her directly in the eye. "Your brother would want to know either way. You know he would. And I'm sure _you _would like him to know. This is too much for you to bear on your own."

Rosalie stared straight back. She shivered at the feel of his hand holding hers and the intensity of his words. "I d-don't know. There are things you don't know about my family, Mr. Turner. Things were hard for a while, when I was younger. Andrew worked so hard to make sure me and my s-…father had everything we needed. He deserves to be where he is today and I couldn't stand it if I ruined everything for him."

Will felt slightly irritated with her at that. What could she possibly know about having it hard? He could tell she was worried about what they had found out though, so he pushed his irritation aside.

"Your attack may have been planned, which means that man could try again," he said. "It is important that your brother knows everything."

Rosalie sighed, closed her eyes and then nodded. "You're right. I know you are."

Will smiled and gave her hand a brief squeeze. "I should think about telling him soon. It will get harder the longer you leave it."

Rosalie nodded again and then turned to face him. "I will tell him now. Would y-you…I mean I'd understand if you didn't want to…but would you stay whilst I tell him?"

"You want me to be there?" asked Will, surprised.

"Yes, I would," she replied, giving him a shaky smile.

Will smiled back and said, "I will stay then."

"Thank you, Mr. Turner," said Rosalie, feeling relieved.

Will got to his feet and offered her a hand up. "Shall we go then?"

"Yes," said Rosalie, letting him pull her up.

This time she didn't even acknowledge Will tucking her arm through his, as he started to lead the way back up to the house. Her mind was too full with wondering how she was going to explain to Andrew, that their father had hidden a pirate key in her jewellery box.

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed! Please **review! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **Hi everyone! Here is Chapter Eleven! You find out quite a bit in this chapter so I hope you enjoy it! Thank you to all my readers and a special big thank you to my reviewers – **HeRmY-gRaNgEr**, **cHoCoLaTe-RuM**, **LuckyPennyX**, **Hyper Musician**, **AuroraPirateGirl**, **kadience**, **ChirikoFan **and **Laurelas**! Thank you so much! I love hearing from you!

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter Eleven**

Andrew was standing by the window in his study, gazing out at the garden. He'd been watching his sister and Will Turner for the past ten minutes and that was how Charlotte found him, when she came into to see how he was.

"It looks like funny urgent business to me," she said, walking over to stand by her husband's side. He started and turned to face her, having the grace to redden slightly. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were spying on Rosalie and our guest," continued Charlotte, smirking.

Andrew straightened up, knowing there was no point in denying it. "I wouldn't call it spying. It's more like keeping an eye on."

Charlotte laughed and turned to look out of the window as well. Will and Rosalie were sitting on the bench, deep in conversation. "Well at least she hasn't killed him," she mused out loud. Andrew raised an eyebrow at her and she quickly tried to think of a cover up, knowing it would not be the best idea to tell him Rosalie and Will had had an argument. Andrew would most likely blame the blacksmith and Charlotte didn't want to destroy the fragile trust she knew her husband had in the young man. "I-I mean she seemed a bit out-of-sorts earlier and could have taken it out on Mr. Turner."

"Out-of-sorts, eh?" said Andrew, turning back to look out at the garden. "Yes, she did a bit. I wonder what made her act like that."

"Oh you know, it could be anything," replied Charlotte. "You know how we women can act sometimes."

"Yes…I do," he said, giving her a sly grin. "I'm been on the receiving end of your moods many times."

Charlotte laughed and slapped his arm playfully, before becoming serious once more and saying, "They do certainly seem to get on well."

"Yes, they do," said Andrew, knowing instantly that his wife was talking about Rosalie and Will. "It is quite obvious when you see them together."

"Rosalie has grown quite fond of him, I can see that too," said Charlotte, smiling.

"Yes," he said, smiling back. "And I can see he is fond of her. In fact if we aren't careful I can see them both becoming quite taken with one another."

"Is that a good or bad thing?" asked Charlotte.

Andrew sighed and his smile faded ever so slightly. "I don't know. I just don't want her getting hurt. Even though I know that Turner is a good man, he is still a man and Rosalie is still my little sister."

"And you don't want any man to hurt her," smiled Charlotte.

"She's my sister, it's my duty to protect her," said Andrew.

"And you will," she affirmed. "You will always be there to look out for her."

Andrew smiled and slipped an arm around Charlotte's waist. "You always know just what to say to me, don't you? What would I do without you?"

"You would do just fine," she answered, kissing him on the cheek.

They were interrupted suddenly by a knock on the door and they both turned to see who it was. "Come in!" called Andrew and the door opened and Rosalie and Will came in.

Andrew was slightly taken aback by the sombre expressions both of them were wearing. He furrowed his brow, wondering what could be wrong. "Is everything alright?"

"Well…actually no it isn't," said Rosalie. She glanced briefly at Will and announced, "There is something I need to tell you."

Andrew tensed, glancing at the blacksmith and frowning at him. Will just smiled at Rosalie and nodded his head encouragingly.

She turned back to her brother and sister-in-law. "It is something important."

"Well we had better sit down then," suggested Andrew, gesturing to two straight backed chairs in the corner of the room. Rosalie and Will took the chairs and Andrew sat down on the chair behind his desk with Charlotte standing beside him. "I'm listening. Please go on."

Rosalie took a deep steadying breath as she clasped her hands tightly together in her lap. "I have found something."

Andrew waited for her to continue but she didn't. She just sat there, gnawing at her bottom lip with her teeth. Andrew leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk in front of him and asked, "What did you find?"

Rosalie looked desperately at Will, hoping he'd tell them instead but he just nodded his head, encouraging her to go on. "W-Well it was a necklace…and a m-map."

"A map?" questioned Andrew, frowning. "Where did you find it?"

"In my jewellery box," she replied. "The map and necklace were hidden in the bottom."

"Do you know how they got there?"

"No. I had no idea they were there until I found them. I have never seen the map or the necklace before," said Rosalie. She paused and began to gnaw at her lip again. "There was a letter with them."

Andrew sat up straighter. "A letter? What did it say?"

"That is what I've got to tell you," said Rosalie. She looked down at the floor, wondering how best to tell her brother. She decided it would probably be best to just come out with it straight. She looked back at him and met his gaze head on. "It was from Father."

Andrew felt his heart leap into his throat and he quickly looked at his wife, who looked just as sick as he felt. He turned back to Rosalie and stared at her, wondering what to say next.

"It was addressed to me and it basically said that he'd hidden them with me to keep them safe," said Rosalie. Andrew bowed his head, guessing what she would say next. "Andrew, h-he said the map led to some treasure."

He closed his eyes, feeling his last bit of hope leave him. "A treasure map? W-Well that is interesting," he said, not able to think of anything else. He felt rather dazed. Everything he had worked so hard for was slowly unraveling in front of his eyes.

"Yes," said Rosalie, thinking that he seemed to be taking the news very well. "Apparently the necklace is a key."

Will watched as Rosalie's brother nodded his head distractedly. He too was surprised at the man's reaction. He'd been expecting fireworks. Deciding to speak up he said, "Lieutenant, we have cause to think there may be a link between this key and Rosalie's attack the other day."

Andrew looked up quickly and met the younger man's gaze. "You do?"

Will nodded. "Yes. Me and your sister both think it is too big of a coincidence for her attack and this necklace to be un-related."

Andrew turned to look at Rosalie and she nodded her head in agreement.

"Remember, that man asked me for a necklace. He mentioned a key too. He knew my name and was convinced I had the necklace. How else do you explain it, but it all being related?"

Andrew furrowed his brow in thought and got to his feet to look out the window. "Yes, I think you two may be right. It does seem too much to be just a coincidence."

"That attack could have been planned," said Will. "If someone does indeed know about this key and wants it, they may try again."

Andrew turned and nodded his head in agreement. "They very well could. We will have to speed up the search. It is even more important to find that man now." He looked at Rosalie, knowing he needed to tell her the full story. She couldn't be kept in the dark any longer, especially since their past seemed to be catching up with them. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't manage to find the words. Feeling both frustrated and upset, he turned sharply and stared back out of the window.

Rosalie got up and walked over to him. "I find it hard to understand too," she said, looking out at the water.

He quirked an eyebrow and looked down at her. "Understand what?"

She turned and looked up at her brother. "I find it hard to understand that Father would own a treasure map and key."

Andrew sighed and then turned to look at her. He knew he had to tell his sister now. "There is something I must tell you too, Rosalie."

Rosalie looked at him, surprised. "There is? W-Well go on then."

"T-There is something you don't know about Mother and Father."

"I-I don't know what you mean," frowned Rosalie, slightly fearful of what he would say next.

"Rosalie…" He drifted off and looked down. "R-Rosalie, before you were born Mother left Father…and went off with another man."

Her frown deepened and she shook her head. "You're lying. Mother loved Father. She did! She would never have gone off with someone else."

Andrew grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him. "She did, Rosalie. She…f-fell in love with someone else and left me and Father."

Rosalie stepped back, pulling away from her brother and shaking her head vehemently. "You are lying! I don't know why you would tell me such a thing!"

"Because that's when she had you!" blurted Andrew. Her eyes widened and he cursed himself for letting it come out like that.

"What do you mean?" asked Rosalie quietly. He didn't respond so she took a step forward and said more sharply, "What do you mean?"

Andrew sighed, knowing he had no other choice but to tell her the truth; to tell her what he had kept from her all her life. "Rosalie…" he started, before drifting off. He tried to pull himself together and started again. "Rosalie, the man that she fell in love with is your real father. You and I have the same mother, but our fathers are two completely different men."

Rosalie didn't say anything in reply to her brother's confession at first. She just stood, staring at him, trying to process what she had just been told. She and Andrew had different fathers. Their mother had run off with another man and had a baby with him. This couldn't be true. It just couldn't. "I don't believe you," she managed to say finally.

"It's the truth," said Andrew, earnestly. "Why would I lie to you?" Rosalie knew he was right. Why would her brother lie to her about something like this? Andrew could see she was thinking this through and said gently, "You have to believe me Rosalie."

"But it's ridiculous! Why would my family lie to me all my life? It doesn't make sense!" said Rosalie, trying to be reasonable. But really it wasn't just that it couldn't be true, but more she didn't _want _it to be true. She couldn't even begin to comprehend the thought that the man she'd grown up calling Father wasn't her father at all.

"I know it sounds ridiculous but it is the truth," said Andrew. "I-I remember waking up one morning and she'd vanished. I was too young at the time to fully understand but Father explained it all later to me. Mother fell in love with this… merchant sailor and ran away to be with him at sea."

Rosalie shook her head again. "Andrew, listen to yourself! Mother loved Father! I know she did! She wouldn't have run off, you know she wouldn't! A-And if she ran off with someone else then explain why I grew up believing Father was…well my real father."

Andrew stepped forward, making her look at him again. "Listen to me. Father found you, L-…and Mother wandering the streets in London. He couldn't leave you there so he took you both in and offered to bring you up as his own."

Rosalie slowly processed this new information. She could hear the sincerity in his voice and knew deep down that what he was saying, however unbelievable it was, had to be true. Her brother wouldn't lie to her. But as soon as this thought crossed her mind, something else occurred to her. Andrew _had _lied to her. If what he was saying was true, then her whole family had lied to her! She fought the tears that had suddenly sprung up in her eyes and pulled free from her brother. "Are you telling me, you lied to me? Are you telling me, my entire family has lied to me all my life?"

Andrew flinched at her angry words. "W-Well yes…I-I suppose we have. But we did it for your own good! You have to believe that Rosalie!" he said, his voice full of guilt.

"For my own good!" she repeated, incredulously. "Is that what you told yourself, that you were lying to me for my own good?"

"You were so young! You wouldn't have understood anyway! Mother and Father decided to keep the truth from you, so that you would feel loved and safe," said Andrew, his own voice raising an octave.

"Do you think I feel safe and loved now?" asked Rosalie, shrilly. "Do you think I feel loved with the knowledge that my family, the p-people I trust most in the whole world, have been feeding me lies since I was born?"

Andrew faltered. "N-No, I don't imagine you do."

"Damn right, I don't!" said Rosalie.

Normally he would have scolded her for cursing, but in this instance he completely ignored it and instead said, "Rosalie, Father loved Mother-"

"Is this my fake father or my real father?" she inquired coldly.

Andrew ignored her words again and continued. "Father loved Mother with all his heart. He really did. Even after she left him, he still loved her. He never stopped loving her. So when he met you, he didn't care that you weren't his own child. He took you in and loved you as if you were really his own daughter." Rosalie wrapped her arms around herself and stayed silent. "Rosalie, he couldn't turn away the woman he loved, no matter how much she'd hurt him, and he couldn't turn you away either. He brought you home and it was decided that we would be a family. You would grow up with a Mother and a Father who both loved you. We decided to never tell you the truth."

"But who gave you the right to do that?" she asked, as a tear slipped down her cheek. "What gave you the right to keep the truth from me for all these years?"

"They wanted you to be happy," said Andrew, calmly. "They thought the truth would be too much for a young child to handle…and it would have! You grew up feeling loved and wanted and that was all both of them wanted. Do you disagree with that?"

Rosalie stood still for a moment before shaking her head. "No."

"They did what they felt was right," he said softly. "They both loved you so much."

Rosalie stifled a sob and turned away as more tears spilled down her cheeks. "I loved them too."

"I know you did," said Andrew gently. "We both did." He watched as his sister's shoulders began to shake and he placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to offer her comfort. She turned and launched herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. Andrew froze for a second but then wrapped his arms around her too, hugging her to him as she wept.

Rosalie's mind was in knots as she tried to make sense of her feelings. As she took comfort from being in her brother's arms, her mind kept replaying the conversation they'd just had. She didn't know what to think or what to feel.

Eventually she pulled away and wiped the tears from her face with her hands. "I-I need time on my own. I'm tired so I think I'll go for a lie down."

Andrew looked worried but he nodded his head. "Yes, of course. This has all been a lot for you to take in."

Rosalie nodded and turned to face Charlotte and Will.

Charlotte gave her a shaky smile. "Yes, you just get some rest," she said.

"I will," replied Rosalie and then she turned to Will. He looked a bit shaken at what he had just witnessed. "I-I'm sorry about this, Mr. Turner. I'm sure you weren't expecting to witness all of that."

"There is no need for you to apologise, Miss Middleton."

She offered him a smile which he returned and then headed for the door. Will, Andrew and Charlotte watched as she left the room, leaving the rest of them in awkward silence.

**A/N: **I hope you liked it! Please **review **and tell me what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie.

**A/N: **Hi everyone! I am so sorry for the really long wait for this chapter. I've been busy recently and for some reason, I found this chapter really hard to write. Thank you _so_ much to my readers and reviewers – **Laurelas**, **anonymous**, **Hyper Musician**, **HeRmY-gRaNgEr**, **ChirikoFan**, **Hannah **and **brunette25-08**. Your reviews have really spurred me on – especially for writing this chapter! I just love hearing what you all think! I hope you all enjoy!

**Chapter Twelve**

Rosalie sat on the window seat in her bedroom, staring out at the ocean. It was a bright, sunny day. The weather was a complete contrast to how she was feeling. She'd never felt so confused…angry…and hurt in her whole life. She didn't know which she felt the most.

After leaving the study yesterday afternoon, she had retired to her bedroom and had not left the room since. She couldn't seem to bring herself to leave the relative safety of her room and face anyone; especially her brother. She was sure she'd never felt as much anger towards her brother before as she'd felt since his confession, and she _had_ been angry with him on countless occasions before.

There had been one occasion when they were much younger, when he'd cut off a whole chunk of her hair with their father's cutlass whilst she was sleeping. She smiled as the memory came rushing back to her.

_A eight year old Rosalie was rudely awoken from a deep sleep by the loud laughter of her thirteen year old brother. She scowled at him and sat up, wondering why he was laughing. She looked around her bedroom, trying to find something that warranted her brother's amusement. She couldn't see anything. She looked at Andrew again, noticing he was holding a cutlass that was a too big for him. There was an up-surge in his laughter again and her frown deepened, as she tried to work out what he was finding so funny. _

_Then it clicked. Her eyes widened and she leapt up from the bed, rushing towards the mirror that stood in the corner of her room. Her fears were confirmed. On her right side, her long dark hair reached her elbow but…on her left side it barely scraped her chin. She let out an ear piercing scream and whirled on her brother who had now stopped laughing. His own eyes widened and he spun around, fleeing from the room. Rosalie tore after him, screaming that he was the most horrible brother ever. She chased him down the stairs and into the front room of their modestly grand home, and despite the fact that he was five years older and a great deal stronger managed to jump on him and knock him to the ground. _

"_I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" she screeched, as she beat her small fists against him._

Thinking back now Rosalie couldn't help but smile at this memory. Andrew had just lain there, laughing at his little sister's feeble attempts to hurt him. In fact she was quite sure he had rather enjoyed playing with her. She had many fond memories of them chasing each other around the garden and even a couple of him playing dolls with her. Of course whenever she had reminded him of these occasions when they had gotten older, he would vehemently deny ever doing such a thing, whilst going bright red at the same time.

Rosalie's mind turned back to the hair cutting incident and what happened next.

"_I hate you Andrew!" screamed Rosalie, yet again. She was quickly becoming exhausted but she continued to hit Andrew. How dare he cut her hair! The cheek of him! _

"_Rosa!" yelled another voice. She turned and saw their father, standing in the doorway and frowning at the sight before him. _

"_He cut my hair, Papa! He cut my hair when I was sleeping!" she said, angrily._

"_That doesn't give you reason to hit him like that," said her father sternly. "You know that hitting your brother isn't a nice thing to do."_

"_I don't care! He was the one to cut my hair!" said Rosalie, adamantly. "He cut my hair with your sword, Papa! He must have stole it from you!" _

"_Now Andrew, you know you mustn't touch my swords," said their father, turning his attention to him. "I've told you before."_

"_And look at my hair!" added Rosalie, tugging at her hair. "It's all…wonky!"_

"_Look at what you have done to your sister's hair Andrew," continued their father, his face stern. "What do you have to say for yourself?"_

_Andrew scowled from his position on the floor. "At least it wasn't her head I cut off," he grumbled. _

"_Andrew-" started their father, but his voice was cut off by Rosalie who had just thrown herself at her brother with renewed energy._

"_I heard that! You are the horriblist brother in the whole world!" Andrew brought his hands up in an effort to shield his face, as her hands reigned down on him again. _

"_Rosa! Rosalie!" cried their father, rushing forward and lifting her off her brother easily. "That is enough!"_

"_But he cut my hair!" said Rosalie again, before she burst into tears and threw her arms around his neck. _

"_I know sweetheart," soothed her father, as he carried her back up the stairs and to her bedroom. "He'll have to apologise later, don't you worry." He stood her in front of her mirror. "Your hair will grow back, so don't you worry about that either."_

"_But it was so long," said Rosalie, miserably, staring at her reflection sadly. "It will take ages to grow back!"_

"_No it won't," assured her father, pinching her nose, "and anyway even with wonky hair, you are still my beautiful little girl."_

_Rosalie turned around and beamed at him. "I love you, Papa." She threw her arms around his again and he squeezed her back. _

Thinking about her _father _made her heart clench painfully in her chest and more tears to fall down her cheeks. That man wasn't her father - some stranger who was god knows where was.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and she turned to look at the closed door. No one had bothered her since yesterday for which she was grateful. She had needed time to think and sort through her thoughts.

Charlotte had visited her the previous evening and brought her some soup, saying it was important that she ate something. She had seemed awkward and oddly polite, not meeting Rosalie's eyes once whilst she placed the bowl of soup and piece of bread on a table in the corner of the room. Rosalie had sipped at the soup and nibbled at the bread but couldn't eat much of it. Her stomach felt too upset too hold down food. She had then curled up on her bed and replayed the conversation with her brother in her head. Initially she'd just lain there, not moving at all but then it had all seemed to dawn on her again and she'd broken down. She'd cried through the evening and then well into the night until she fell into a restless sleep, constantly waking up to dwell on her thoughts again. She'd got up at first light and moved to the window seat, where she had been sitting ever since.

Rubbing her eyes, she got to her feet and walked to the door. She smoothed down her dress and took a deep breath and then cautiously opened it. Andrew was standing on the other side.

"Rosalie…I-I was just wondering, how you were," he said, his nervousness obvious in his voice.

Rosalie looked down and fiddled with the skirt of her dress. "I could be better."

"Of course, you could," said Andrew, quietly, obviously struggling with what to say next. "I-I was wondering if you would like to talk…about, well you know, everything."

She looked up at him. She did have questions - lots of them, but was she ready to hear the answers? She was quite sure they would be hard to take in. Eventually her curiosity won out and she nodded her head. "Y-Yes…I think talking would do me good."

Andrew nodded and gestured behind him. "Where would you like to talk? In my study?"

Rosalie nodded again and they silently made their way downstairs to Andrew's study. She took a seat in the same chair she had occupied yesterday, and he took the one beside it. An awkward silence fell over the pair of them and Rosalie began to fiddle with the skirt of her dress again.

"I suppose you have a lot of questions," said Andrew, finally breaking the silence.

"I do," she agreed. "I just don't know where to start." A weak smile appeared on her brother's face, prompting her to give him one of her own.

"Why don't we start from the beginning?" he suggested.

"That seems like a good idea," replied Rosalie. She paused and looked down again, pondering how to word her first question. "You said, you could remember Mum leaving. What happened exactly?"

Andrew took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. "I was very young - about two years old I think, and all I remember is waking up one morning and wondering where my mum was."

Rosalie's breathing quickened ever so lightly. "What did Father tell you?"

"He told me that she'd gone away for a bit, but that she wanted me to know that she loved me. It wasn't until much later that he told me the whole story."

All of a sudden Rosalie felt a rush of sympathy towards her older brother. He'd lost his mother, just like that. "That must have been awful."

Andrew smiled sadly. "It was hard. I was too young to fully understand. I thought I must have done something wrong – that _I'd _made her leave us. But what could Father say? How could he tell a two year old, his mother had run off to be with another man? So he just said that she'd gone away…he never said she was gone forever…just that she had gone _away_…and that she loved me very much."

Rosalie lifted a hand to her throat. "But as you got older, didn't you wonder?"

"Of course I did," he replied. "That's when I started to blame myself. I tried to remember if I'd been particularly naughty or if I'd made her very angry the night before she left. I kept on asking Father, but he always dodged the questions. It must have been even harder for him." Andrew paused and looked towards the window. Rosalie noticed his shoulders rise and fall in a silent sigh and she had to bite her lip to stop her own sob from escaping her. He turned back and said, "Me and Father did alright. Even though our neighbours all knew that Mum had up and left, Father was still a respected member of society. I'm sure they must have talked about us behind our backs, but Father still had money and I suppose that is all that really mattered." Andrew reached out and took her hand. "Then one day he brought you home and everything was normal again."

"He just brought us home?" asked Rosalie, her eyes wide. "Mum, me…"

"…And Lily," finished Andrew, with a nod.

Rosalie looked up and met her brother's eyes. "So…is Lily…?"

"When Mum ran away to sea, she had Lily almost straight away and then you three years later," he responded, nodding his head.

Rosalie's mind was whirring. They hardly ever talked about Lillian. Another awkward silence fell over the room, before Rosalie broke it by saying, "Do you still think about her, Andrew?"

"Everyday," he replied softly.

"Me too."

"She might have been married by now," said Andrew.

Rosalie laughed. "Oh, yes, she would have been. She was so pretty. I'm sure some man would have fallen head over heels for her by now."

He joined in with her laughter but then became serious once again. "You look so much like her, Rosalie. More and more everyday."

Rosalie smiled before letting her mind drift off to the last time she'd seen her older sister. She'd been fourteen, Lily had been seventeen and Andrew had been nineteen. Completely out of the blue, Lily had announced that she was going away – that she needed to find herself.

"_Rosa, I need to tell you something," said Lily, as she brushed her younger sister's hair. It was a ritual that they'd always done. Every night she'd brush her sister's hair before tucking her into bed. _

"_I'm listening," said Rosalie, even though she didn't bother to tear her gaze away from the window. _

"_It's important, Rosalie," said Lily, putting the brush down and grasping her sister's shoulders. "I want you to listen properly."_

_Rosalie turned away and met her sister's dark blue eyes. "Is everything alright, Lily?"_

_Lily gave her a reassuring smile, detecting the worry and concern in her voice. "I am fine, Rosa. I just have something important to tell you."_

_Rosalie scooted around, so she was facing her sister. "I'm listening."_

_Lily took a deep breath. "I'm going to go away for a bit."_

"_Go away?" asked Rosalie, screwing her forehead up in confusion. "Are we going on a holiday?" _

"_No, not we," said Lily. "I'm going on my own."_

"_I don't understand. Why are you going away on your own?" asked Rosalie, screwing her forehead up even more. "Is Papa sending you away to school?"_

_Lily shook her head. "No, he's not sending me away to school. I just…just have to get away."_

"_But why?" asked Rosalie. "Don't you like it here? I could do more chores, if you needed more help around the house."_

_Lily's heart broke at the hurt look on her little sister's face. "No, it's not that. I love it here and we have enough maids to help with the housework, so it's not that either. I-It's just…it's hard to describe." She looked around the room, trying to think of a way to explain how she felt. "How do you feel, when you look out of the window?"_

_Rosalie followed her gaze to the window. "I-I don't know really. I-I just like thinking about there being a whole world out there, just waiting to be discovered."_

"_Well that's what I want to do. I want to feel free. I feel trapped in this house and if I stay here any longer then I'm going to suffocate. I just need to see more of the world than this city."_

"_Oh," said Rosalie. She looked down at her hands. "But…what about me…and Andrew…and Papa?"_

"_I won't be gone for long," said Lily, hoping her voice sounded reassuring. "I will be back." _

"_B-But, I don't know if I can cope without you," said Rosalie, looking up at her sister with wide eyes. "Andrew is away all the time and Papa is…isn't doing as well as he used to. I know that he's lost a lot of business, you know."_

"_Oh, Rosa," said Lily, pulling the younger girl into her arms. "We didn't want you to know about that. Papa is just having some…problems. But he's working on them and everything will be fine soon." _

"_Are you sure?" sniffed Rosalie._

"_Yes, I am," she replied, pulling back and tapping Rosalie on the nose. "So don't you worry about it for a second."_

_Rosalie smiled up at her sister before falling forwards and embracing her sister tightly again. "I'm going to miss you Lily."_

"_I will miss you too. I will miss all of you. But I won't be gone long. I'll be back before you've even noticed I've gone. You will be fine. You have Papa…and Andrew will be back soon…and there's always Aunt Jules, next door."_

"_Where will you go?" asked Rosalie._

_Lily turned away and looked out the window. "I-I'm not sure. I might go to the country…or I might go to see the sea. I just want to get out of the city." _

_Rosalie thought she looked a bit shifty – as if she was keeping something from her - but decided not to pry. If she was keeping something from her, Lily would tell her when she was good and ready. "You just hurry back. I will want to hear everything," she said, pointing her finger at her, mock threateningly. _

_Lily laughed and they embraced once more. "Don't worry, I'll tell you all about my adventures when I get back."_

But she never had got back.

"I miss her," Rosalie said, looking up and meeting Andrew's gaze.

"I do too," he said, his voice soft. He looked down and then back up. "I just want you to know, Rosalie, that Father did love you. He loved you and Lily very much. I don't want you to think, that just because you and Lily weren't his, that he loved you any less than he loved me. He loved Mother too. He took you all in because he loved her. As far as I'm concerned, and as far as Father was concerned, you _are_ Benjamin Middleton's daughter."

Rosalie's eyes started to fill up at her brother's heartfelt words. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that she was still as much Andrew's sister as she had been a week ago…but she wasn't. Her whole world had been turned on its head and she now had to re-think everything she thought she knew. "B-But Mother d-didn't love Father, did she? She ran off with another man! She left her little boy behind! What kind of mother would do that?"

Andrew's eyes were wide and he looked slightly startled by her outburst. "Rosalie…s-she fell in love."

"Love?" she scoffed. "She didn't know the meaning of the word! She couldn't have!"

He got up and took her hands, pulling her to her feet. He gently grasped her shoulders and stooped so he could look into her face. "Rosalie, she fell in love. We can't help who we fall in love with. It just happened."

Rosalie pulled herself free. "She had a family! She was married! She was already supposed to be in love!"

"I know and she did love us. She loved Father-"

"She left him! How could she love him?"

"T-Their marriage wasn't a love match…it was more of a match of convenience in the beginning, I suppose. But then as they got to know each other, their love grew. It wasn't _head-over-heels _love, I'll give you that, but they did love each other," explained Andrew.

"But then Mother did fall head over heels for someone else, right?" asked Rosalie, her voice slightly mocking.

"Yes."

"May I ask how you know all this?" said Rosalie, tilting her head up to look at her brother.

"They told me – both of them, when I was old enough to understand," said Andrew calmly.

"Oh wonderful! They could tell you, could they?" she exclaimed.

"I could remember when it was just me and Father," said Andrew. "I was seven when you moved in. I was old enough to ask questions. They had to explain."

"But you didn't ever think to tell me, when _I _got older?" asked Rosalie, disbelief evident on her face and in her voice.

Andrew opened his mouth and then closed it again, momentarily lost for words. "You were happy not knowing," he said, after he'd managed to pull himself together.

"Well I'm not happy now, am I?" she said, wittily. Andrew stayed silent. He didn't know what to say. Rosalie sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. She turned away from her brother and walked towards the window. "I need to be on my own again. I have to think through all this. Could you leave me for a bit, Andrew?"

"Of course," he replied, "but first…" He headed over to his desk and opened a drawer. She turned around and watched as he pulled out something. He closed the drawer and walked over. "I would like you to read these. They may help answer some questions." He held out a small pile of envelopes that were tied together by a piece of course string.

"I-I will."

**A/N: **There you go. Let me tell you, I found this chapter so hard to write. I think it's because such a lot of back story is explained. Hopefully the next chapter will be out _much _quicker, because I've got it all planned out already. So please **review **and tell me what you think!


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **Hi there! Here's another chapter! Thank you **HeRmY-gRaNgEr**, **Queso Blanco**, **StarLightStarBright567** and **ChirikoFan** for reviewing! Your reviews mean _so _much to me! I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Thirteen**

Rosalie stared at the piece of paper in her hand. It was a letter from her father – her _real _father. Her eyes scanned over it again and then again. It was a _love _letter.

_My Beloved Evelyn,_

_I haven't stopped thinking about you sinse I left you. I know you are probly angry wiv me and are cursing my name for forsing you to stay behind, but I had to. I don't want you, Lily or Rosa being dragged into this. It's too dangrous. But beleeve me, when I see you again we will be rich. I will be able to buy that house you so desperatly want and you will be able to have the things you deserve. I know we haven't had much of a life together up till now, but it's all going to change soon. I promise._

_I miss you so much, Evie. Give my love to our girls._

_Love Robert xxxx_

Rosalie put it down and rubbed her eyes. Her head ached from being bombarded with so much information. She had to try and get this straight in her mind or she'd end up losing her mind.

Clearly this was a letter from her _father_ to her mother and it proclaimed that he was sorry for leaving her. It also seemed to say that Robert was hoping to have a windfall of money that would give them all a better life. What did it all mean?

She sighed and put the paper down and picked another one up from the pile.

_Evie,_

_I haven't got much time to write but I need to tell you something. I'm nearing my destination but it looks like we're going to have truble. I am sending you the little money I have left and_ _gifts for the girls. They're just something I've pikked up on my travels and I'm sending them so they will have something to remind them of me if the worst comes to the worst. I'm not being pessimistik, just sensible. I know that's not something I usually am but this is important to me. _

_All my love, as always,_

_Robert xxxx_

What did he mean, pondered Rosalie. It looked like they were going to have trouble? What kind of trouble? She sifted through the rest of the pile, scanning over the letters to see if she could find any other clues. The rest of the letters didn't mention anything about approaching trouble or any details about what had happened after the last letter. She turned back to the last letter to see if there was a date. There was and Rosalie quickly calculated on her fingers how old she would have been at the time the letter was written. She worked out that she wouldn't yet have had her first birthday.

Rosalie leaned back in her chair and tried to calculate some more dates in her head, but she soon gave up and gave a frustrated sigh. It was useless. She wondered if Andrew would be able to shed any more light on everything. She got up and left the room in search of her brother.

**xxxxxx**

"So what do you want to know?" asked Andrew, gesturing to the space on the bench beside him. Rosalie had found him in the garden, taking in some fresh air.

"Do you know what happened between Mother and my father?" she asked.

"Yes – well a fair bit anyway."

"Could you tell me? I would like to know," said Rosalie, looking hopefully up at him.

"Er…I…I don't-" said Andrew, obviously unsure about telling her any more than he had already.

"Andrew, please," she pleaded, reaching out and taking his hand. "I want to know. I _need _to know."

"Well if you're sure…" he said, still looking unsure.

"I am," said Rosalie, her voice firm. "If I'm to understand, I need to know everything."

"Well alright then. Where do you want me to start?"

"From the beginning," she replied. "You said Father found me, Lily and Mother on the streets and took us back in, how did that come about?"

"Well I think I was about seven years old at the time. Father told me he found you all wandering the streets. Apparently your father went away and left you all behind," explained Andrew.

Warning bells went off in Rosalie's head and she wondered if this was when he had written that letter. "H-He went away? Do you know why?" she asked, a bit shakily.

"No, I don't know exactly," he replied, shaking his head.

Rosalie took a deep breath to try and calm herself and pulled out the letters from the pocket of her gown. "Read these." Andrew took the papers, unfolded them and read them. His eyes widened considerably and then he looked up at her. "Do you think there is a connection?" she asked.

"I think so," said Andrew. "The dates match up. He must have written this during his time away."

She nodded in agreement, then her shoulders slumped and she looked down. "So why didn't he come back?"

"Mother says he got you safe passage back to England and told her that he'd be back as soon as he could. She managed to get a job as a maid, but I don't think her employer was fond of children because he kicked you out soon after. You'd been staying in a room at the house so of course this meant you were homeless too. Mother never gave up hope on your father coming back – she was sure he would come back, but as more time went by and she stopped hearing from him she started to worry. Eventually she came to the conclusion he had either forgotten about you or died."

"Then Father found us and took us in?" said Rosalie, her mind whirring as she started to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Yes," said Andrew. "We took you in and became a family. I of course wondered what was going on. I had suddenly got my mum back and acquired two younger sisters over night. They had no choice but to explain it to me. They didn't go into detail – I was still very young, but they said they wanted us to be a family again. They said that I was very lucky because I was getting two new playmates and I didn't even have to wait for them to grow up a bit. I was still too little to question it…so I just accepted it." He smiled and ruffled her hair affectionately. "I didn't complain."

Rosalie returned his smile. "No, you enjoyed having two little sisters to boss around, didn't you?"

He laughed before becoming serious once more. "As I got older I started to question things again. I started to ask awkward questions and that's when they realised they would have to tell me before you started to take notice and ask questions too. From the very beginning they had decided that you would never be told the truth and that Father would bring you up as his own. It would be too hard to explain and it would probably have upset you terribly. So when I was twelve they took me aside and explained it all to me and from then on I knew. I had to promise not to tell you…and I never broke that promise."

"Did Lily know?" asked Rosalie.

"She could remember your real father and I think she wondered where he had gone, but she settled into life with us easy enough. I think she too was too young to really question anything. But then one day she overheard Father and me talking. We had no choice but to tell her then too. She promised not to tell you either but from then on she knew as well."

Rosalie nodded and stared fixatedly at the floor as she thought through this. "It must have been hard."

"It was," he replied. "But we were all happy and that is all that mattered."

"We were weren't we?" she smiled. "I couldn't have asked for a better childhood."

"It was Mother's dieing wish for Father to keep on bringing you up as his own," said Andrew, wistfully. "I think she was worried that as soon as she was gone we'd stop loving you and Lily so much." He smiled softly, taking Rosalie's hand. "But we loved you both as much as ever."

"I know you did," she smiled. She was finally starting to feel more at ease with all that she's been told. Then something suddenly occurred to her. "Andrew, do you think my real father could have had anything to do with this key business?"

"It's possible."

"Was he-" She broke off, struggling with what she wanted to ask. "W-Was he a pirate?"

"I don't know," said Andrew, honestly. "Mother never actually said he was a pirate but she ran away to sea to be with him, so it's a possibility. He could have been a merchant sailor, but I can't see a merchant sailor wanting to go off and find some supposed treasure."

"I suppose not," replied Rosalie, not sure what to make of her biological father maybe being a pirate. "So I'm going to try and get this straight. Robert went after this treasure because he wanted to make a better life for his young family but then he came across some _trouble _and…just a moment…in that letter he said he was sending something for me and Lily…is that when he sent me my jewellery box?"

"Yes," said her brother. "We said it was from Father but really it was from Robert."

"It's all starting to make sense now," she said. "So he sent me this key so I could keep it safe. I couldn't picture Father going off after some treasure, but it wasn't him anyway. It was this Robert."

"That's right. He must have thought that noone would ever guess the key was with you."

"But they have? Someone attacked me because they knew I had it," said Rosalie, a shudder running down her spine. "What am I going to _do_, Andrew?"

Andrew took her hand and squeezed it tightly. He could tell she was mentally exhausted and didn't want her worrying about anything else on top of it all. "You don't worry about that. You have enough to think about as it is."

She looked up and nodded weakly. "I-I…Is it alright if I go and lie down for a bit? I need…need to just think about this."

"Of course it is," he said. "You go now. I'll be right here if you need to talk anymore."

Rosalie laughed. "I feel like I've done more talking in one day than I've done in my whole life."

**xxxxxx**

"Is she still in her bedroom?" asked Charlotte, looking up as her husband came into the room, later that evening.

"Yes," answered Andrew, undoing the top button of his shirt and coming to sit beside her on their bed.

"It's understandable," said Charlotte. "She has such a lot to think about."

"Yes," he sighed. "I just hope she doesn't stay shut up in her room for long."

"Maybe some company would do her some good," she suggested. "Having someone new to talk to, might take her mind off everything for a bit."

"That does sound like a good idea," said Andrew, smiling. "I'm sure she would like to make a new friend." He paused and tried to think of a suitable person. Then the perfect person came to mind and his smile widened. "And I know just the person."

**xxxxxx**

The next day Rosalie was sitting on the window seat fiddling with the fine silver chain of the pendant, that she now was even more sure was the key to some pirate treasure. She looked out of the window as she twisted the chain between her fingers, pondering all that she now knew.

She was thinking about her mother and Robert. If the letters were anything to go by they had been deeply in love, but then why had he not come back? What kind of man took a young mother away from her family? Rosalie felt some resentment towards this Robert and how he had torn apart her family.

There was a knock at the door and she got to her feet and went to answer it. "Andrew," she acknowledged, pulling open the door so her brother could come in.

"I was wondering how you were feeling," he said.

"I'm alright," she replied, clasping her hands behind her back.

"I was wondering if you are up for company today," continued Andrew, watching for her reaction. Rosalie looked up, surprised.

"Company?" she asked.

"I've invited Elizabeth Swann around this afternoon," he said. "She is about your age and I'm sure the two of you will find you have a lot in common."

"E-Elizabeth Swann?" said Rosalie, slightly breathlessly. _Will's Elizabeth?_

"Yes," confirmed Andrew. "I thought it would do you good to have someone new to talk to. It will give you something else to do instead of just thinking."

"I suppose," she said, still reeling with the news that she'd be meeting Miss Swann.

"Oh, she will be pleased," he smiled. "I'll send a note to the Governor's house straight away, to let her know that we'll be expecting her after luncheon."

**xxxxxx**

"It is so lovely to meet you, Rosalie," said Elizabeth Swann, smiling widely.

"It is lovely to meet you too," replied Rosalie, returning the smile easily. She had wanted to dislike the woman – after all she'd broken Will's heart - but she soon found she could do nothing but like her. She was a beautiful young woman with dark auburn hair and dark brown eyes. The lovely light yellow dress she was wearing complimented her slim frame and her smile was open and friendly.

"Your brother has told me such a lot about you," continued Elizabeth.

"He has?" said Rosalie, nervously. "I hope it was all good."

"Oh yes," beamed Elizabeth. "He had nothing but lovely things to say about you when I last saw him."

"That is good," said Rosalie, becoming very aware of the creases in her own dress. She tried to smooth her hands down over the surface of her light blue dress inconspicuously.

"How are you liking Port Royal?" asked Elizabeth, interestedly. "I hope you have liked it so far."

Rosalie nodded her head and smiled. "I love it here. Everyone has been very welcoming and friendly."

"That is good," said Elizabeth. Then she added cheekily, "I heard that you have been spending time with Lieutenant Wexley."

"Oh yes," said Rosalie, rolling her eyes. "I have unfortunately experienced the pleasure of Lieutenant Wexley's company."

"I feel for you," grinned Elizabeth. "Is he still calling on you?"

"No," replied Rosalie.

"Have you met anyone you wouldn't mind having call on you?"

"N-No," said Rosalie, awkwardly. Somehow she didn't think mentioning that she enjoyed Will Turner's company _very _much, would be the best thing to say to his ex-fiancé.

"Oh I'm sure you will soon," said Elizabeth, smiling encouragingly. "There are some very fine men in Port Royal."

"I'm sure there are," smiled Rosalie, just as her brother appeared to greet their guest.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie and Elizabeth spent a very enjoyable afternoon together. Rosalie learned that Elizabeth had lived in England up till her when her father was offered the position of Governor in Port Royal. Elizabeth wanted to know if London had changed much since she was last there and Rosalie assured her that it was still the same cold and dreary place. Rosalie was also pleased to find that they both had a dislike for corsets.

"I'll just go and see if Emily will kindly make us some tea," smiled Rosalie. "All this talking has made me thirsty." Elizabeth agreed that that was a good idea and Rosalie left the room to try and find the maid. She thought that the kitchen would be as good a place as any to start looking and decided to head there first, but when she entered the front hall all thoughts of tea were wiped from her mind.

Will Turner was standing there, talking with her brother. Rosalie's heart caught in her chest as it did every time she laid eyes on the young blacksmith, and she again became painfully aware that her hair was far from perfect and that her dress was crinkled. But it was too late to do anything as Will had noticed her.

"Miss Middleton," he smiled, straightening up.

"Hello Mr. Turner. What are you doing here?"

"I'm just delivering a sword to your brother," replied Will. "It is a pleasure to see you."

"It is a pleasure to see you too," she replied, wondering why the room had suddenly got several degrees warmer. "How are you?"

"I'm very good, thank you," said Will, his heart speeding up at the sight of Rosalie looking rather rosy-cheeked. "How are you?"

"I'm good," she said, with a nod. Will wondered if he dared ask her if she fancied going for a walk with him. It had been a couple of days since he'd last seen her and he had been missing her company. It was a lovely sunny day and he was quite sure her company for an hour or two would make it even more so. He took a deep breath and said, "M-Miss Middleton, it is such a lovely afternoon, would you care to take a walk?"

Rosalie's face lit up but then fell almost instantly. "I would love to, Mr. Turner, but-" She was cut off by the sound of someone hurrying into the room behind her.

"Would you like any help-…o-oh hello."

Rosalie already knew it was Elizabeth from her voice, but the look on Will's face confirmed it. She turned and managed to say, "E-Elizabeth, I think you know Will Turner."

Elizabeth glanced at her and nodded, before looking back at Will. Rosalie didn't quite know what to make of the expression on her face. "Y-Yes, we do know each other. It is nice to see you, Will."

"Hello Elizabeth," replied Will, quietly. His voice was polite and self-effacing, but his eyes were a different story. Rosalie looked from one to the other, feeling extremely awkward. Will glanced at her and she felt as if she should say something.

"Andrew invited Elizabeth over and we have been getting to know each other," she explained.

"Oh," said Will, his throat suddenly dry.

"Yes, I've had a lovely time," said Elizabeth, not once looking away from Will. An awkward silence fell over the group then and Rosalie shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other.

"I-I should be going now," said Will, turning to Rosalie. He looked down and then back up at her, saying, "Would you care to take a walk with me tomorrow, t-that is if you're not already busy?"

Rosalie looked up at him. Was he asking _her_ if she wanted to take a walk…right in front of Elizabeth? She opened her mouth, closed it again and then gave him a smile. "I-I would love to, Mr. Turner."

Will couldn't help but grin back, smiling easily for the first time since Elizabeth's arrival. "Is that alright with you, sir?" he said, looking at Andrew.

"It's fine with me," replied Andrew.

"I look forward to it then," said Will. He glanced at Elizabeth. "It was good to see you Elizabeth."

Elizabeth nodded and smiled – it looked rather forced to Will though. "It was good to see you too, Will."

Will nodded and then turned to Andrew. "Good day Lieutenant." Andrew nodded. "Until tomorrow then," finished Will, turning back to Rosalie, who in turn blushed to the roots of her hair and nodded her head, as she didn't trust her self to speak.

Will gave her one last smile and then quickly left the house, wanting to put as much distance as he could between himself and Elizabeth Swann.

**A/N: **So what do you think? Please **review **and tell me! Oh, and if you were wondering, the spelling mistakes in the two letters are deliberate. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **Hi everyone! Here is chapter fourteen! Thank you so much to all my readers and especially to my reviewers! Your kind comments mean so much to me! So…on with the story and I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Fourteen**

The rest of the afternoon passed far too slowly for Rosalie's liking. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying Elizabeth's company but more that her mind was pre-occupied elsewhere. It didn't help that Elizabeth kept shooting suspicious glances in her direction and every now and again opened her mouth as if to say something, only to shut it again and say nothing. This began to grate on Rosalie's nerves and eventually she put down her tea cup, turned to the other woman and asked, "Is there something you would like to say, Elizabeth?"

"I-If I had something to say, don't you think I would say it?" asked Elizabeth, nervously, twisting her own tea cup in her hands.

Rosalie glanced down and noticed that the still full tea cup was in danger of spilling. She leaned over, tugged the cup from Elizabeth's hands and placed it back down on the table. "Yes, I would, but I can tell you want to say something. You have said little more than two words in the last half hour…and you haven't drunk one sip of your tea. If you have something to say, I beg you, please tell me. I'm rapidly losing patience here."

A small smile appeared on Elizabeth's lips at Rosalie's bluntness. She had taken an instant liking to the young woman and could see them fast becoming good friends. It was nice to meet another woman in this town, who wasn't only interested in the latest scandal in Port Royal…or indeed what had happened between her and Mr. Turner. But then again Rosalie already seemed to be on friendly terms with her ex-fiancé and probably had heard everything from him. This thought made Elizabeth's stomach clench and her heart ache. She didn't know why but seeing Will being so friendly with another woman hurt her deeply.

It shouldn't, she knew that. She had no right to feel jealous at all. _She _had been the one to break off their engagement and end it, not him. Surely she hadn't expected him to stay on his own forever. A handsome man like Will was bound to receive a lot of female attention. She knew most of the female population of Port Royal thought him the most handsome man in the town.

But seeing Will with Rosalie and him obviously quite taken with her had cut her more than she'd thought it would. After she had broken off the engagement Will had immersed himself in his work and his already near non-existent social life had dwindled to nothing. She'd never seen him with another woman, let alone so friendly with one. But now she had. She'd just seen Will ask if Rosalie cared to join him on a walk – a sure sign that the two of them were quite close. Also the fact that Will's new friend was Rosalie, who Elizabeth did in fact rather like, only served to complicate matters even more.

She looked down and then up at Rosalie again, straightening up in her chair in an effort to hide her true feelings. "I-I see you know Will Turner."

"Y-Yes, I do," answered Rosalie, her heart speeding up as she realised the conversation she'd been dreading all day had finally arrived. "He's been very kind to me."

Elizabeth looked down and clasped her hands in her lap. "I suppose you know about mine and Will's…history."

Rosalie felt herself blush and was quite glad that Elizabeth was still looking down. "I-I do."

"Did Will tell you?" asked Elizabeth, looking up.

Rosalie shook her head quickly. "No, no. I heard about it from my brother."

Elizabeth felt somewhat relieved at this. She knew she shouldn't ask it but the next question tumbled from her lips before she could stop it. "D-Does Will ever speak about me?"

"Not really. I think he finds it hard to talk about you," said Rosalie, her mind wandering back to her and Will's argument at the smithy.

Elizabeth nodded slowly and looked down. They both stayed silent for a moment, before Elizabeth looked back up at Rosalie. "I-I hope you don't think me cold and heartless for what I did to Will. I did what I thought was right."

"I'm sure you did," said Rosalie, awkwardly. In all truth after meeting her, Rosalie couldn't bring herself to really hate Elizabeth. From what Rosalie had seen so far, Elizabeth didn't seem to have a heartless bone in her body, but then they _had _only just met.

Elizabeth looked back down, wringing her hands together in her lap. "He saved me, you know. I was kidnapped by pirates and he rescued me."

"You were kidnapped by pirates?" asked Rosalie, her eyes wide with shock. "You poor thing! That must have been awful!"

Elizabeth gave a weak smile. "It was. But Will set out after me and he rescued me."

"How romantic," said Rosalie, softly. She wondered what it must be like to have someone love you like Will obviously loved Elizabeth.

"I suppose it was," said Elizabeth, looking down into her lap. "I owe him my life. When we returned to Port Royal, we got engaged." She trailed off and looked off to the side, towards the window. "W-We would be married by now…if I-I hadn't broken it off."

"W-Why-…I'm sorry. I know it is not my place to ask," asked Rosalie, her face reddening.

Elizabeth gave a short laugh and quickly shook her head. "No, no, I don't blame you for wanting to know."

"It was rude of me," insisted Rosalie, ashamed of her lack of manners. "It is your private business."

"I don't mind," said Elizabeth. "I suppose I broke it off because…because…" She looked around the room, trying to gather the inspiration to put what she felt into words. It wouldn't come. How could she explain it? She wasn't even sure herself now.

"Forget I ever asked," said Rosalie, quickly. She looked around and grabbed the plate of cakes off the table, offering it to Elizabeth. "Have a cake."

**xxxxxx**

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," announced Rosalie, as Emily tugged the laces of her corset tighter.

"Don't fret," said Emily. "You're going to look lovely."

"I'm not talking about that…although I_ am_ unsure about this corset," said Rosalie, glancing down at herself. "I'm not sure this is appropriate attire for an afternoon walk."

"You want to impress Mr. Turner, don't you?" teased Emily, with a sly smile. She ignored Rosalie's outraged gasp and went back to lacing up the corset. "Stay still Miss Rosalie. I'm almost done."

Rosalie sighed and tried to keep still, though it was becoming increasingly more difficult to breathe. She focused her attention on the window across the room and wondered if she shouldn't just get her brother to inform Will that she was feeling under the weather. Even though she had instantly accepted Will's offer, she was beginning to wonder if she wasn't just lining herself up to be embarrassed. After all, Will's former fiancé had been present in the room at the time too. It was possible that he had just asked her as a means to get back at Elizabeth. He was probably regretting it now.

Even as these thoughts occurred to her, Rosalie rebuked them. Hadn't she and Will already spent a lot of time together? She hoped he thought of her as a friend and if his past actions were anything to go by, then it seemed that he did.

She let Emily lace her into one of her new dresses and then allowed herself to be steered towards her stool. She sat quietly as the maid pinned her hair up and fussed over her. By the time Emily had finished her preening, it had occurred to Rosalie that she didn't think she could bring herself to turn down the chance to see Will anyway. What with her desire to see the young blacksmith again and the fact that she really wanted to get out of the house, she found herself beginning to look forward to the afternoon ahead.

"There you are, Miss Rosalie," smiled Emily, handing her a parasol. "You are ready to see Mr. Turner now."

Rosalie gave the maid a warning look. "He and I are merely going for a walk, Emily."

"Yes, because _he _asked you. He obviously likes you."

"As a _friend_, Emily. That is all," replied Rosalie, quickly.

"But you would like to be more than that, wouldn't you?" said Emily, shrewdly.

"Emily!" gasped Rosalie, going to hit her with her parasol.

"Rosalie, Turner has just arrived!" interrupted Andrew, calling though the closed bedroom door.

"He's here!" cried Rosalie, feeling the butterflies in her stomach treble. "Mr. Turner is here, Emily!"

"Yes, he is and you'll be fine," said Emily, grabbing Rosalie's hands and giving them a squeeze. She gave her a reassuring smile, turned her around and pushed her towards the door. "Go now, you don't want to keep him waiting. Have a lovely time!"

Rosalie gave her a glare over her shoulder and opened the door, expecting to find Andrew waiting to escort her downstairs. But he wasn't and Rosalie realised that he must have already gone back downstairs, as she could just make out hushed voices speaking down in the hall. She took a calming breath and proceeded towards the top of the stairs.

Will and Andrew were standing by the door, talking, but they both stopped and looked up as Rosalie began to make her way down the staircase. Rosalie's breath caught in her chest as Will's face lit up.

"Miss Middleton," said Will, "you look lovely."

"Thank you," smiled Rosalie, feeling her face burn. She had reached the bottom of the stairs by then and she crossed the room, towards the two men. "It was very kind of you to ask me to take a walk with you."

Will's smile widened. "It was my pleasure, Miss Middleton."

"Well get going and enjoy yourselves," said Andrew, smiling at the pair of them. "It would be a shame to waste such a beautiful day."

"Yes, indeed," answered Will, not taking his eyes off Rosalie's face.

"You just make sure you don't keep her out too late," said Andrew, eyeing the young man carefully.

"Oh, of course, Lieutenant," said Will quickly, turning to look at him.

Andrew nodded and then stood back. "Enjoy yourselves then."

"I'll see you later, Andrew," said Rosalie, moving forward to kiss her brother's cheek.

"Good day, sir," said Will, holding out his arm for Rosalie to take before leading the way out of the house.

**xxxxxx**

Will and Rosalie slowly made their way down into town, enjoying the warm afternoon sun and each other's company. They found themselves easily slipping into conversation and Rosalie's nervous butterflies soon disappeared. She liked how easy it was to talk to Will, liked how she wasn't constantly checking her words before speaking. It was a refreshing change. She didn't often get to relax whilst in the company of people other than her family. There was always that nagging worry that what she was saying wasn't appropriate for a lady to say, or that she speaking out of turn or above her station. She also found that with Will, she quickly forgot about all that had happened over the last couple of days.

Rosalie had wondered if he would bring up Elizabeth and their meeting at her house but he didn't. Rosalie was grateful for this. It was awkward enough talking to Elizabeth about what had once happened between the pair of them, but she was sure it would be even more so with Will.

"How are you feeling…about everything your brother told you?" asked Will, as they turned off the main street, away from the crowds. He had wanted to ask her this sooner but he hadn't found the right time to bring it up until now.

Rosalie looked up and met his concerned gaze before giving him a weak smile. "I'm feeling better about it now." She stopped suddenly and grabbed both of his hands, staring up at him seriously. "I want to thank you for persuading me to talk to my brother. If I hadn't I would probably still be in the dark now…and even though I do wish what I was told wasn't true, I'm pleased I know." She turned her head and stared off to the side. "I-It's strange but I feel more complete…as if I knew there was something being kept from me…even though I didn't." She turned and stared up at him again. "Does that sound silly?"

Will shook his head. "No, it doesn't."

Rosalie smiled and gave his hands a squeeze. "I must apologise though. You had to sit through all of it. I bet you weren't expecting to hear quite that much."

"No, I wasn't," said Will with a chuckle. She smiled and he found that he wanted to keep this moment frozen in time. Her hands were still in his and she was smiling up at him. He didn't want to let her go. He became concerned though, when her smile flickered slightly and then faded from her face. "What's wrong?"

Rosalie looked up at him instantly, surprised that he could read her that easily. "I-It's nothing," she said, casting down her eyes and gently tugging her hands free from his grip.

Will felt his heart sink. She didn't want to confide in him. "I want to-" He stopped abruptly, wondering how to try to get her to open up to him. She looked up and stared at him, a questioning look on her face. He swallowed and gave it his best shot. "I-If you want to talk about anything, I'm always here."

Rosalie stared at him, a warm fuzzy feeling spreading throughout her body. She considered him for a moment before nodding her head. "Is there somewhere quieter we could go?"

He looked around for a moment, thinking, and then held out his hand to her. "I know of a place."

She stared at his hand for a second before slowly slipping her hand into his and saying, "Lead the way."

Will smiled and then turned and led the way down the path towards the fort. He then led her down around the walls towards where the ground dropped away over the cliff. He came to a stop and pulled Rosalie up beside him, staring out at the ocean spread out before them. Rosalie gasped as she looked out over the water, not noticing yet that they stood mere feet away from a sheer drop.

"Mr. Turner…this is beautiful!" Will smiled and nodded his head, pleased that she appreciated the view. "How did you find such a place?" she breathed softly.

"I just came across it," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I like to walk and I wanted to find somewhere quiet. One day I just happened across this place."

"Well I'm very honoured that you've shared it with me," said Rosalie. She smiled and her cheeks dimpled. "I'm afraid you will have to share it from now on."

Will was finding he was as captivated by his companion as he was by the view. The dress she was wearing complimented her slender frame very nicely and even though it looked like her hair had been arranged very carefully, strands of her hair had slipped loose and had tumbled down to frame her face. He mused to himself that her hair often did that but that he liked it this way very much. Then there was her smile. As he stood beside her, staring out over the vast expanse of water before them, he found his gaze once again being drawn to her mouth.

"If it's with you, I certainly don't mind sharing," he heard himself say. He replayed his words when Rosalie's eyes widened and he had to physically bite his tongue to stop himself groaning out loud. Why had he said such a thing? The fresh air must have loosened his tongue. He watched as Rosalie bowed her head, a faint pink tinge staining her cheeks. "Er…I-I mean that…well I mean…I didn't…"

Rosalie let out a rather un-ladylike snort of laughter and then clamped a hand over her mouth. She looked up and then burst into a peal of giggles at the indignant expression on Will's face. He clenched his teeth and asked, "May I ask what is so funny?"

"I-It's just…" She stopped talking and began to fan her face with her hand, trying to regain her composure. She took a deep steadying breath and then managed to get out, "The flustered look becomes you Mr. Turner. You should get all hot and bothered more often!" It was Will's turn to smirk and Rosalie's turn to go bright red when her words finally registered. "I-I mean…I d-didn't mean it…like…"

"Like _what_?" asked Will, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing! I didn't mean…I just-" She stopped as Will bit his lip and turned his head to the side in an obvious attempt to control his amusement. "You're teasing me, aren't you?" she asked with a gasp.

He burst out laughing at this and he had to turn his back on her completely to try to regain control of himself. When he had finally done this he turned back to find Rosalie standing there with her arms crossed and a frown marring her pretty features.

"Are you quite done, Mr. Turner?" she asked, stamping her foot in irritation.

"Yes, I am quite done," said Will, unable to stop a slow grin spreading across his face. This seemed to irritate her more and rolling her eyes she turned and stepped forwards. He rushed after her and took her arm, stopping her from wandering any closer to the edge. "Be careful, we don't want you falling over the cliff."

"Sorry?" asked Rosalie, confused, but at that moment she noticed the drop and instantly grabbed on to his arm with a gasp. "Is it _safe _to stand here?"

Will laughed and released her arm so he could take her hand instead. "Yes, it is as long as we're careful. Look…come and look over the edge."

When he tried to pull her forwards, she tugged her arm free and exclaimed, "Are you _mad_? Do you have a death wish?"

Will laughed and took her hand again, giving it a squeeze. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Rosalie's head snapped up at this. "I'm not scared, Mr. Turner! I'm just concerned for our safety." She stepped forwards and tugged him with her. "See? I'm not frightened at all. I am-"

They had reached the edge now and after seeing just how sheer a drop it was, she latched on to his arm again. "Oh my, that _is_ a long way down!"

Will pulled his arm free so he could slip it protectively around her waist. "It is completely safe," he assured her, taking her hand in his free one once again.

Now that the shock was wearing off Rosalie could begin to appreciate the beauty of what she was seeing. Will had a strong hold on her so she leaned forward ever so slightly, and stared down at the foaming waves crashing against the rocks at the bottom of the cliff. She breathed out a soft sigh in wonder. "It _is _beautiful."

Will smiled. "It is. Shall we walk on a bit further?" Nodding eagerly she turned and tugged him onwards, all the while staring over the edge of the cliff with an awestruck expression on her face. Will mused on how quickly her fear had turned to awe and enjoyed watching her delight in her new found bravery…all the time keeping a firm hold on her hand.

They walked on in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the view. It was an easy silence, not an awkward one. Rosalie started to wonder if it would be rude to ask if they could sit down for a bit. Her feet were starting to ache from all the walking and she had been right about her dress. It certainly wasn't suitable for outdoor pursuits. The corset felt more and more constricting as time went on and she was finding it harder to draw in air. She didn't want to appear weak though and she definitely didn't want to give the impression she wasn't enjoying herself. That was the opposite of the truth. But as her need for air became more of a priority she slowed to a stop and moved her other hand to clutch at Will's arm too. "M-May w-we stop for a m-moment, Mr. Turner. I'm feeling slightly out of breath."

Will turned to look at her and noticed that she was indeed looking very pale. She brought a hand up to clutch at her chest and her grip on his arm tightened as she swayed on the spot. "Of course, Miss Middleton. There's a bench over there."

Rosalie allowed him to lead her over to a stone bench that stood against the wall of the fort. Will sat down beside her and she then tried to regulate her breathing by taking some deep breaths. When her breathing was returning to normal she leaned back on her hands and scowled up at the sky. "I'm going to kill Emily for this!"

"For what?" chuckled Will, amused at the expression on her face.

"She made me wear this dress! I told her it was unsuitable attire for a walk but she insisted!"

"Well I think you look quite lovely in it," smiled Will, earning himself a smile and red cheeks in reply. What is wrong with me today, wondered Will. He didn't know what had gotten into him recently.

Now that Rosalie was feeling better she was suddenly acutely aware of how close Will was sitting. She could feel his body warmth and was sure her face must be quite red. She folded her hands demurely in her lap and chanced a glance at him. Her breath caught in her throat as she met his dark eyes staring intently back at her.

"Would you like to talk now?" he asked gently. He didn't want to force her into talking if she wasn't ready, but at the same time he hoped she would open up to him.

Rosalie gave a short nod and began wringing her hands in her lap. "When Andrew was two my mother left him and my father to be with this man called Robert. Apparently they were very much in love. They had m-me and it looks like we were happy f-for a while…"

"But?" prompted Will, gently.

"Well then Robert left us and went after some t-treasure. He was going to use it to give us all a better life, but he never returned."

"How do you know he went off in search of treasure?" asked Will, curiously.

Rosalie looked up and met his gaze. "He sent us letters. My mother kept them all and Andrew showed me them." She went on to explain everything else to him, making sure she told him about the supposed trouble Robert had run into and how her mother had never heard from him since then. She told him about how her father had found them after her mother had lost her job and how he'd taken them in. She revealed that her parents had wanted to keep it all a secret so as not to upset her and that Andrew had found out but then promised to keep the truth from her.

She talked and talked and all the while Will listened carefully without interrupting her. Rosalie soon found that it felt good to talk to someone and get it all out in the open. She'd been keeping all sorts of emotions bottled up over the last couple of days and they all came tumbling out as she explained everything. She tried to include everything, knowing intuitively that she would feel better after telling Will everything. But she also _wanted _him to know. She wanted to pour her heart out to him. That fact was quite scary.

"So it was Robert who sent you the jewellery box with the map and necklace inside?" asked Will, wanting clarification.

"Yes," said Rosalie, nodding. "He knew there was trouble ahead so he sent the key to where he thought it would be safe."

"And this Robert was a…pirate?"

"I think so."

They were both silent for a few moments before Rosalie spoke again. "I hate him," she said so quietly that she wasn't even sure Will would hear it.

"Sorry?" asked Will, confused.

"Robert. I hate Robert," clarified Rosalie, staring straight ahead. "He tore my family apart. He dragged a young woman away from her husband and son and then once he got bored he disappeared without a trace."

"You don't know what happened." He kept his tone light but he wanted to make sure she didn't jump to any conclusions. "You don't know what type of trouble he ran into."

"He should never have gone off in the first place!" said Rosalie, her voice rising in volume. "He breaks up my family and then just leaves us to fend for ourselves!"

"Technically he didn't break up _your _family," pointed out Will. He just wanted to give her some perspective but he immediately regretted saying it when Rosalie's eyes flashed and she jumped to her feet, walking away from him. He jumped up too and went after her, gently grabbing her arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm…I'm just trying to get you to see it from a different angle."

"I do see!" she exclaimed, pulling away from him. "It's _you _who doesn't!"

Will took a step closer and held out his hands in a placating gesture. "All I'm trying to get you to see is that, from what you've told me, it looks like Robert just wanted to better himself. He obviously thought that this treasure was the way to do it."

Rosalie blinked and then looked down. Will stayed silent, giving her time to think through this. Eventually she looked up and nodded her head. "I see. I-I'm sorry for shouting at you."

"It's fine. I understand that this must be very hard for you. I just don't want you to think the worst of Robert when you don't really know what happened. He may have been a pirate but he was still your father," said Will, understanding this all too well.

Rosalie bit her lip, suddenly feeling awful. She had forgotten that Will was friends with a pirate. She supposed he found her attitude insulting. "I-I want you know I have nothing against pirates Mr. Turner. I mean I-I know that all pirates aren't bad people."

Will smiled. "It's alright-"

"I-I happen to know that you have had dealings with pirates yourself," she continued, rushing to make amends.

"You know about Jack Sparrow?" asked Will, feeling both surprised and a bit nauseous.

"Well yes, if that is his name," she replied, blushing. "Andrew happened to tell me. I'm sorry if you don't like to talk about it."

"No, no," said Will, reaching for her hand and leading her back towards the bench. He didn't know how he felt about Rosalie being aware of his past dealings with pirates. He wondered if she knew the reason why he took up with pirates and about the part Elizabeth played in it. For some reason he didn't feel too comfortable with the thought that Rosalie knew about the lengths he'd gone to to save Elizabeth.

Thinking about his past adventure made his mind turn to Elizabeth. He realised that he hadn't given her or their meeting at Rosalie's house a second thought all afternoon.

"I don't mind talking about it," Will reassured her. "But there is something else too. My father was a pirate."

"He was?" asked Rosalie, her eyes wide.

He smiled weakly. "Yes. When my mother died I came out here looking for him. Then I found out he was dead too."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, feeling horrible.

"It's alright," smiled Will. "Really. I just want you to know that I understand a bit of what you're going through."

She smiled back and then turned to look out at the ocean. "Of course this means that my attacker wasn't just an opportunist. He knew about me. He could come back," she said, sighing.

"Your brother will do all he can," said Will softly, wishing there was more that he could do. He hated this feeling of helplessness.

"Yes," said Rosalie, nodding. She looked down then up again, turning to face him fully. "Thank you for today Mr. Turner. It was good to talk and I really appreciate you listening to me."

Will smiled. "It's been a pleasure, Miss Middleton."

"Rosalie."

Sorry?" asked Will, looking at her quizzically.

"My name is Rosalie," she clarified. "I think it's about time you started to call me by my first name, don't you?"

Will looked unsure. "I don't think so. It wouldn't be proper."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because we haven't known each other long enough, that's why," replied Will.

"Don't be silly, we've known each other plenty long enough."

"I don't think your brother would approve," said Will, giving her that smile that made her toes tingle.

"You might be right, but he's not here now, is he?" she pointed out. "You can still call me Miss Middleton when Andrew is around but…I'd really like it if you'd call me Rosalie when he isn't." She blushed hotly as a slow grin spread across his face.

"It doesn't look as if I have a choice."

She quickly looked down, her cheeks burning. "If you don't want to then I understand."

Will reached out and took her hand, making her look up at him. Once he got eye contact he said, sincerely, "I would love to…Rosalie."

**A/N: **So did you like? Please **review** and tell me!


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter out. As the third movie is now out, I will take this opportunity to remind you that this story disregards DMC and now AWE. Thank you so much to all my reviewers. I really appreciate hearing from you all! Anyway…I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter Fifteen

"You certainly seem happy this evening, Rosalie," commented Charlotte over dinner that evening. "I take it that you enjoyed your walk with Mr. Turner."

"Yes…I did," said Rosalie, unable to keep the smile off her face. She ducked her head and busied herself with her plate, not wanting her brother and sister-in-law to notice her blushing. "We had a most enjoyable afternoon."

Charlotte glanced at her husband and grinned knowingly. Andrew returned the smile rather tightly.

"So…where did Mr. Turner take you?" he asked, trying to keep his tone casual.

"We walked through town and then visited the fort," answered Rosalie, picking up her glass and taking a sip of wine.

"You visited the fort?" asked Andrew, surprised. "Why ever did you go there?"

"Mr. Turner wanted to show me the view from the cliff. It is beautiful up there Andrew."

"Well, that's nice," smiled Charlotte. "That brings us onto another topic we would like to discuss with you." She glanced at her husband and kicked his leg under the table. "Doesn't it Andrew?" He jumped and shot her a bewildered glance. Charlotte rolled her eyes and sighed, "About our invitation, _dear._"

A look of understanding dawned on Andrew's face. "Oh yes. It's Miss Swann's birthday next week and the Governor is holding a ball in her honour. They have, very kindly, invited us."

"T-That's nice," said Rosalie, trying to work up the appropriate enthusiasm. She couldn't say she greatly anticipated standing and conversing with complete strangers in a stuffy ballroom. She had attended a couple of balls in London, but she'd had Lily for company then. She didn't think this ball would be quite so enjoyable without her sister there.

"Yes," continued Charlotte, "and Elizabeth said you can bring a guest of your choice."

This peaked Rosalie's interest. She looked up at her sister-in-law and asked, hopefully, "I can invite _anyone_?"

"Well in reason of course," answered Charlotte with a nod. "But I don't think you know anyone that would incite a scandal if invited so-"

"I would like to invite Will Turner!" said Rosalie, quickly.

Andrew sat up straighter and glanced at his wife. "I don't think-"

"You just said I could invite _anyone_," Rosalie pointed out. "I would really like to ask him Andrew. The ball would be so much more enjoyable with another friendly face there. Oh _please_, Andrew."

He glanced helplessly at Charlotte who just smiled and shrugged her shoulders. He sighed and turned back to his sister, his heart sinking a little lower at the hope obvious on her face. She was, quite obviously, rather taken with Turner. If she wanted to invite him, then who was he to argue. If it made her happy then how could he say no. "Yes, okay, you can invite Mr. Turner if you wish."

Rosalie beamed and jumped up from her seat, disregarding her manners entirely, and threw herself at her brother. "Thank you…oh thank you Andrew!"

He returned the embrace rather awkwardly and glanced at Charlotte over his sister's shoulder. This time Charlotte did return his worried look. If Rosalie was this excited about the possibility of Turner's company at the ball, then it did look like they were too late. His little sister was, it appeared, completely taken with the young blacksmith. It broke his heart to know that even though Turner did like her, that was obvious, she could never win his heart. That still belonged to Elizabeth Swann.

**xxxxxx**

It was the day of the ball and Emily was helping Rosalie choose a gown. It was already late afternoon and Rosalie was becoming quite flustered. She _had _to look nice for Will. The second she thought this, another thought quickly brushed it aside. It was _Elizabeth's _birthday. She groaned and lowered her head into her hands. The ball was being held in Elizabeth's honour and she was leading Will straight to her. No wonder he had accepted the invitation so quickly. It wasn't because he wanted to spend time with her. It was because Elizabeth was going to be there.

"Is something wrong, Miss Rosalie?" asked Emily.

Rosalie looked up and quickly shook her head. _I'll just have to smile and bear it. _"No, no, everything is fine, Emily. I'm just a bit nervous, that is all."

"That is no wonder," said Emily, smiling. "Mr Turner accepted your invitation. Fancy that, eh? I told you he likes you."

Rosalie gave a tight smile. "I'm sure it's just the promise of food and a good time."

"Oh stop it!" admonished the maid. "He likes you!"

"Yes, well we are friends," said Rosalie, turning away to look in her closet some more. "Of course he likes me."

"He more than just likes you," Emily pressed on. "That fact is quite clear to me and the rest of the staff."

Rosalie scoffed and turned to face her. "How is it obvious?"

Emily put down the gown she was holding and held out a hand, so she could count on her fingers. "One, he has taken every available opportunity to come and see you. Two, he is always saving you from harm. Three, he accepted your invitation without hesitation-"

"Yes, well he's a very nice man," interrupted Rosalie, turning away once again.

"A very handsome man who is accompanying _you_," added Emily, with a sly grin, "to the most talked about social occasion Port Royal has seen in months."

"Now who is being silly," laughed Rosalie.

"Well it _is_," said Emily, moving over to smooth out the skirt of the gown she had placed on the bed. "Apparently the Governor has gone out of his way to make sure this is _the _ball of the year. I mean he even managed to wrangle it so it could be help up at the fort. I suppose it's because of all that Elizabeth has gone through this year – with Mr. Turner and their engagement and everything." She suddenly realised what she was saying and glanced up at Rosalie with an apologetic expression on her face. "I'm sorry, Miss. I shouldn't have-"

"Shouldn't have what, Emily? Don't worry about it. I am very aware of Mr. Turner and Elizabeth Swann's history."

"I just thought…I mean…you and him-" said Emily, quickly.

"Even though it does cause me distress to think about what that poor man went through, it matters not if you talk about it in front of me," said Rosalie, pulling out another gown from the closet. She was rather pleased with this diplomatic answer, but it seemed it didn't quite appease Emily.

"He will have to get over her one day," said Emily, softly. "If he wants to be happy then he will have to let her go."

"I don't know, Emily," replied Rosalie. She lightly fingered the intricate skirt of the gown. "Once you've given your heart away like he did to Elizabeth, I doubt it is easy to get it back." She paused and then added, "Not that I know anything about love."

"You will one day," said Emily, gently placing her hand on Rosalie's arm. "I'm sure you will."

Rosalie smiled at the other woman and then grabbed Emily's hand, giving it a squeeze. "So will you, Emily!" The two women giggled and then jumped as someone knocked lightly on the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Charlotte. Can I come in?"

"Yes, yes, come in Charlotte," said Rosalie, giving Emily's hand one last squeeze, before releasing it and moving forward to greet her sister-in-law. The door opened and Charlotte, wearing a very pretty light green gown, breezed in. The older woman stopped in her tracks and stared at Rosalie.

"Why on earth aren't you ready yet, Rosalie?" she asked.

"W-We couldn't decide which gown I should wear?" she replied sheepishly.

Charlotte chuckled and took her by the shoulders before steering her behind her dressing screen. "We'd better get cracking then."

**xxxxxx**

"So…how do I look?" asked Rosalie, turning around and then looking to Charlotte and Emily for approval.

"You look beautiful," smiled Charlotte. "Doesn't she Emily?"

"Yes, you look wonderful, Rosalie," beamed Emily. She grabbed Rosalie's shawl off the bed and draped it around her mistress' shoulders.

"Mr. Turner is meeting us here and will travel with us up to the fort," Charlotte informed Rosalie, as she made a couple of last minute alterations to Rosalie's hair. She had pinned up half of her hair, leaving the rest to fall down around her shoulders. She curled some strands around her fingers and arranged them so they draped over her shoulders. "Are you looking forward to the evening, Rosalie?"

"Yes," said Rosalie, though she wasn't feeling quite as cheerful as she had an hour ago. She was quite sure that Elizabeth, as the guest of honour, would be the most beautiful woman at the party, and Rosalie would probably be competing for Will's attention all night. _She probably doesn't have to make all this effort to just look presentable either._

"Right then, we should make our way downstairs," said Charlotte, re-arranging her own shawl around her shoulders. "You know how men hate to be kept waiting."

Rosalie forced a laugh and followed her sister-in-law out of the room. She looked down at her feet, taking extra care to not trip over the skirt of her gown. Following Charlotte down the stairs, she gathered her gown up with one hand and grasped the hand rail with the other. I'll probably be lucky if I get one dance with Will tonight, she thought gloomily.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when a hand appeared before her. Startled she looked up and…nearly toppled down the last couple of steps.

"W-…Mr. Turner!"

"Miss Middleton, may I be the first to say how lovely you look this evening," he smiled.

Rosalie swallowed and unable to stop herself, looked him up and down. _Oh my, he does scrub up well! _She quickly looked up into his eyes again and took his proffered hand. "T-Thank you Mr. Turner. You look very…nice yourself."

Will grinned and helped her down the last couple of stairs. Once they reached the bottom of the stairs, he offered her his arm and the two of them followed Andrew and Charlotte out to the waiting carriage.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie mutely took Will's hand and allowed him to help her down from the carriage. All around them carriages were leaving and others were arriving and she gratefully accepted his arm again, afraid that she'd be swept off by the other excited guests. Unfortunately she was unable to work-up the same kind of enthusiasm as them.

She glanced up at Will and was surprised to see him with a wide smile on his face, and looking as if he was looking forward to the celebrations ahead. She had always thought that Will seemed to be the type of person that was more comfortable in his own company, than in a large group of noisy party-goers. But then again it was probably the prospect of Elizabeth Swann's company that was making him smile.

A young man rushed forward and steered her party towards the entrance. Rosalie let Will lead the way and allowed herself a moment to study their surroundings. It was barely early evening and the sun had only just started it's descent in the sky, but strings of lanterns had been hung up around the perimeter of the fort, supposedly to provide light later on. The fort courtyard had been transformed into a ball-room of sorts, with long tables set up around the walls, leaving the space in the centre clear for dancing.

"Lieutenant Middleton! And Mrs Middleton! I'm so pleased you could make it!"

Rosalie turned to look at the owner of the voice, and felt her heart sink. Elizabeth Swann. They had to walk straight into Elizabeth Swann, didn't they? _Of course, we are going to see Elizabeth! It's Elizabeth's birthday party! The party is for Elizabeth, you idiot! _

She was looking beautiful – really beautiful. Rosalie couldn't deny that the gown she was wearing flattered her slim figure perfectly. She felt her heart tighten as Will stiffened beside her.

"Rosalie! I'm so happy that you are here! And…and W-Will. I-It's really good to see you too."

Rosalie smiled, choosing to ignore the look of shock that had crossed Elizabeth's face at the sight of her ex-fiancé, and stepped forward. "Happy birthday, Elizabeth. It was so kind of you to invite us." She glanced at Will, who had yet to say a word, and added, "I hope it's alright that I invited Mr. Turner too."

Elizabeth seemed to regain her composure at this. "O-Of course it is." She turned to Will and gave him a shaky smile. "I would have invited you anyway, Will, but I always thought you weren't one for parties."

"Well, you never did know me very well, did you?" replied Will, returning her gaze unblinkingly.

"Y-Yes…well…I-I'm glad you're all here," said Elizabeth, the smile dropping right off her face. "I have…err…other guests to greet, so I'll catch up with you all later. I hope you all enjoy yourselves."

Rosalie, Will, Andrew and Charlotte made their way to a table and sat down. Rosalie looked down at her lap and then up at Will. He was staring across the courtyard at Elizabeth who was welcoming yet more guests. "I-I hope I haven't made you feel awkward. I-I didn't really think about Elizabeth being here…and how it could be awkward for you." _Could you possibly sound any stupider?_

Will turned, smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I can't hide away from her forever. Neither of us will ever be able to move on, if we can't stand to even be in the same place for a few hours."

"I suppose," said Rosalie, nodding. "I think I'm right in guessing that you aren't too fond of parties and balls either."

"You g-…well they aren't my favourite things in the world." He scratched the back of his neck in obvious discomfort.

Rosalie laughed and shook her head. "It's alright. You don't need to stand on ceremony with me." She leaned closer and whispered, "I'm not too fond of them either." She was rewarded by the sound of Will's laughter and she smiled easily for the first time since they'd arrived at the party.

Will felt his heart beat quicken at the sight of her beautiful smile. It always had that effect on him. He must have been staring because she quickly looked down, her cheeks blushing crimson. He hesitated for a second before reaching out and grasping her hand. "Has your brother made any progress with finding your attacker?"

Rosalie looked up, the skin on her hand tingling under his touch. "He's trying his best. He's got contacts all over the Caribbean and they're all keeping a look out. Apparently they've even gone to Tortuga, to try and find any information that could point to where this man could have come from."

"Do you think they will find him?" asked Will.

She looked off and shook her head. "I don't want to lose hope but my head says they won't. He could be oceans away by now."

He nodded and gave her hand another comforting squeeze. "Have you talked anymore with your brother about it all?"

Rosalie shook her head again. "No. He's doing enough already. I can't trouble him further."

"He's your brother. I doubt he'd class talking with his sister, as troubling him further."

"He's got his job…and Charlotte…and he's already gone out of his way to try and catch that man. I couldn't ask any more of him," she said, looking away towards her brother and sister-in-law.

Will glanced at them too and smiled. "You're really close to him, aren't you?"

Rosalie nodded and smiled. "Yes, we are very close. He's sacrificed so much for me already. He's the best brother a girl could ask f-…" She trailed off and looked up at Will, wide eyed. "I-I keep forgetting. It's so hard to think of Andrew as anything other than my brother."

"He _is _your brother," said Will. "You know he loves you no less than he would a real sister."

She smiled sadly. "I'm very lucky."

Will chuckled and nudged her side, with his elbow. "I'm sure he thinks _he's_ the lucky one." Rosalie smiled wider. Her cheeks dimpled and her eyes lit up as she giggled. Will returned her smile but his smile quickly faded when she looked up into his eyes.

"I-I'm really pleased you're here," she said, softly.

"Me too," answered Will. He meant it too. He couldn't believe he was actually admitting it, but here he was, at a ball, and he was actually enjoying himself.

Suddenly out of nowhere, music started to play. Will and Rosalie quickly looked around, trying to locate the source. A group of four musicians, who they hadn't noticed before, were set up across the courtyard. Will noticed that several other guests had risen and had started to dance.

"Governor Swann has really gone to town, hasn't he?" laughed Rosalie, from next to him.

Will glanced at her and then at the other dancing couples. He hesitated for a second and then got to his feet, holding out a hand towards Rosalie. "Do you care to dance with me, milady?"

Rosalie looked up, shock obvious on her features. "I beg your pardon?"

"Would you like to dance?" asked Will, grinning.

She looked behind him at the other guests dancing and then back at Will again. "You mean with you? You and I?"

Will laughed. "I think that's the basic idea, yes."

Rosalie blushed and shook her head. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

He ignored her and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. "Please?"

_Damn him! How can I say no, when he's looking at me like that! _She looked away and then glanced back at him. She sighed and then unable to stay firm any longer, gave in. "Oh, go on then!"

He grinned and then led the way to the dance floor. They weaved their way through the other couples and then stopped in a relatively clear spot. They turned to face each other and then Will gently pulled her into his arms.

Rosalie felt herself tense for a brief moment before she let herself fully relax. He was so warm and she was finding it difficult to stop herself snuggling closer, pressing herself to his chest and tucking her head under his chin.

Will was having the same trouble. She seemed to fit perfectly in his arms and it was taking a lot of self-restraint to stop him from grabbing her hips and crushing her to him. He had felt her body tense when he'd first taken her in his arms, and indescribable joy had overcome him when she'd relaxed.

As they slowly began to spin across the floor, it occurred to Rosalie that Will seemed to know what he was doing. Then it occurred to her that Elizabeth had probably taught him during the month or so they were engaged. A dead weight settled in her stomach and she tensed up again. Will must have felt this because he pulled her even closer.

Frowning down at the top of her head, Will tried to think of a way to make her relax again. "D-Did you go to many balls over in England?"

She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. "I did when I was younger, but I was too busy looking after Father and over-seeing the house to go to parties in the end."

Will smiled and then gave her a wink. "Well I get lots of invitations, but I'm afraid I'm always too busy to attend them." Rosalie laughed and he mused that the sound of her laughter was a sound that he could quite happily listen to for hours.

His smile vanished quickly when he spotted Elizabeth over Rosalie's shoulder. Their eyes met and his heart clenched painfully as she gave him a hesitant smile.

She was looking beautiful, as always. Her dark auburn hair was twisted up on top of her head and the gold colour of her gown seemed to make her skin glow. Her deep brown eyes – the eyes he had loved to stare into for hours – stared back at him. She seemed almost sad. Could she be regretting leaving him? His heart leapt at the possibility.

Then he remembered who he had in his arms and he quickly looked away. _Elizabeth left me. I'm just starting to move on with my life. Forget about what might have been with Elizabeth. _He tried to think of something to say to Rosalie, but was saved by Charlotte appearing.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Turner, but I was wondering if I could steal Rosalie away for a moment?"

"Yes, of course you can," said Will, releasing Rosalie and then watching as the two women meandered away through the crowd.

**xxxxxx**

"Are you having fun, Rosalie?" asked Charlotte, glancing back at the dance floor.

"I am," replied Rosalie, wondering what was so important to drag her away from Will…out of his arms. Charlotte seemed almost worried. "Is something wrong, Charlotte?"

"No, no," she said, quickly. "Nothing is _wrong_."

"Then what is it?" asked Rosalie, starting to feel irritated.

"Me and your brother have been talking…talking about you and Mr. Turner."

"Yes?" asked Rosalie, raising an eyebrow.

Charlotte took a deep breath and then rushed on. "W-We just want you to be careful."

"Careful? Whatever for?" asked Rosalie, frowning.

"Rosalie…he's been in love before. He's still in love."

"I know all about him and Elizabeth," said Rosalie.

"Then you must understand why me and your brother are worried," said Charlotte, gently. "He and you have gotten quite close. W-We just don't want you to get hurt."

"Why would I get hurt?" exclaimed Rosalie. "We are _friends _Charlotte. I've told you that many times before."

"I know! But sometimes…when you meet someone…your heart can overrule your head…and you can end up getting hurt…even when you think you're in control."

"I _am _in control," said Rosalie, at once. "I'm not…head-over-heels in love with Mr. Turner, if that's what you're worried about. He and I are friends…good friends…and yes I like him…but it's completely platonic! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to him." With this she turned and headed back to the dance floor, too angry to even worry about how childish she may have just acted.

She quickly searched the floor for Will but could see no sign of him anywhere. Deciding that he must have just returned to their table or sat down somewhere else, she circled the floor, searching for any sign of him. After a few minutes of fruitless searching, she was just about to turn back when she finally spotted Will. A wide smile spreading across her face, she moved towards him only to freeze when she spotted who he was sat with. It was Elizabeth. They were both smiling and talking. Rosalie took an unsteady step backwards as her heart leapt up into her throat. She was stuck to the spot, unable to tear her gaze from them.

Finally managing to look away, she turned and stumbled back the way she came. She decided she needed some space so she headed for the entrance. She looked around wildly and ignoring the strange looks she was getting, ran towards the docks.

They looked so happy together, thought Rosalie. She ignored the stab of hurt in her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. She'd left her shawl back at the table, so the cool sea breeze bit at her arms. Why was she so upset anyway? She should be pleased that the two of them were getting on well. She should be happy for Will. That's what she should feel…that's what a friend would feel. Unless…? Was Charlotte right? Had she fallen for Mr. Turner without realising?

"All alone ar' we…Miss Middleton?"

The voice came from nowhere. _It can't be! _She slowly turned towards the voice, her hands clenched tightly into fists, her breathing coming out sharp and shallow. _It can't be him! _Her worst fears were confirmed. She'd recognise that scarred face anywhere.

"Hav' ye missed me? It's a bit dangerous for ye ta be out here all alone, innit? There ar' lots of men who'd take 'vantage of a pretty young thing like ya, wit'out a second thought." The man looked her up and down and Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest, feeling exposed. He laughed at this and inched closer. "Ye know what I want."

Rosalie glared up at him. "I-I don't know who has told you about me, but they're wrong. I don't have anything of value to you."

The man groaned. "Let's not go into tha' again! I _know_ ye hav' it, so just give it ta me an' I'll be on my way."

"I don't have your silly necklace!"

He growled and stepped closer. The hairs on Rosalie's arms sprang up and she jumped back. "Ye won't get away again!" laughed the man, stalking ever nearer. Rosalie glanced around and the man added, "Ye can scream if ye want, but I doubt anyone will hear ya."

Rosalie swallowed, knowing he was probably right. The docks were deserted, and the music from the fort and the chatter of the guests would probably drown out any attempt to get help anyway. She took another step back as the man came steadily closer, and she glanced behind her to find she was only a couple of steps away from the end of the dock. _I could always give the necklace to him. I could go home and get it for him right now. Then he would leave me alone. No! Your father wanted you to keep it safe! He sent it to you! He was trying to give you all a better life!_

"Why don' we make a deal. Ye give me the necklace and I'll make sure ye get back ta yer brother safe and sound." He raised an eyebrow and held out a hand. "Wha' do ye say girl?"

"No!" she yelled. "I will not make a deal of any sort with you!"

The man's face darkened and he went to lunge for her, his face contorted in rage. But as he did so he was suddenly grabbed from behind and knocked to the ground.

Rosalie stared at the person who was now struggling to keep her attacker on the ground. "W-Will! How did you-"

Will didn't get chance to reply as her attacker brought his arm back and elbowed him in the stomach. Rosalie gasped as Will groaned and reeled backwards. She went to rush forwards but Will easily righted himself and twisted the man's arm behind his back. The man groaned and then craned his neck back so he could glare up at Rosalie.

"Lily says 'ello! Yer sister sends her love, Miss Middleton!"

Rosalie's eyes widened and she suddenly felt very light-headed. _Lily? Lily was alive? _The world started to spin and the last thing she saw was Will glancing up and screaming her name, then the world went black.

**A/N: **I'd love to hear your views so please **review**!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **I am so sorry about keeping you all waiting again. I appreciate all your reviews so much and every single one brightens my day. It makes me happy to know that there are people enjoying this story. So…here is chapter sixteen!

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Rosalie!" screamed Will, watching as she fell backwards into the water. He glanced down at the man struggling against his hold and then back to where Rosalie had vanished from sight. He let out a growl of frustration and pushed the man aside before dashing to the end of the dock. He couldn't see anything but the darkness of the water and after hesitating for only a second he took a deep breath and dived off the dock.

He swam down, and then paused and frantically looked around, only seeing endless blueness. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and swam deeper, scanning the water all the time, searching desperately. He finally spotted her - or the cream material of her dress anyway – and swam towards her as fast as he could.

Rosalie's eyes were closed and she was floating weightless and immobile, slowly drifting down towards the ocean bed. He grabbed her around the waist and immediately kicked back up towards the surface.

The water didn't make it easy for him. Its crushing weight pulled them downwards, and her heavy dress wasn't helping. He stopped and turned her around, searching for a way to get her out of the thing. He tugged at the laces on the back of her dress, trying to loosen them so he could remove the waterlogged garment. Finally he managed it and he quickly pulled the dress down, leaving her wearing only her undergarments. He pulled the dress free from her legs and then started to kick for the surface again.

Breaking the surface and gasping air into his lungs, Will pulled Rosalie's body up against his chest, kicking back towards the dock. Her head lolled unnaturally and he kicked harder as he realised she still wasn't breathing. _Please be alright! You have to be alright! _Eventually they reached the dock and he heaved Rosalie up before pulling himself up out of the water too.

He laid her out gently on her back and then proceeded to press his fingers to the side of the neck, searching for a pulse. To his immense relief he found one and he immediately went to give her chest compressions, stopping when he felt the rigid boning in her corset. He had no idea how she could breathe when wearing such a contraption. He tugged at the laces but they only loosened ever so slightly, and without anything sharp to cut through them, he was forced to give up and to go back to giving her compressions.

Trying to push down the wave of nausea that was threatening to overcome him, he gave her three chest compressions and then tilted her head back so he could blow into her mouth. After filling her lungs with air, he pulled back and pressed down on her chest again.

Will nearly collapsed in relief when she suddenly came to life, gasping and coughing up water.

"Shh…it's alright," he soothed, helping her to roll over so she could cough up the remaining water on her lungs. "Just breathe…that's it. Take some nice deep breaths."

"W-Will?" she croaked, as she unconsciously clutched at him as more coughs wracked her body.

"Yes, it's me," he replied, pulling her wet hair back off her face and rubbing her back soothingly. "Take some nice deep breaths for me, Rosalie."

She nodded weakly and took some deep breaths, not looking away from his eyes once. He nodded in encouragement and helped her sit up more, cradling her quaking body between his legs.

He knew it wasn't appropriate of him to be thinking such thoughts, considering the circumstances, but he couldn't help but marvel that even whilst looking rather like a drowned rat, Rosalie Middleton was still very pretty. Her dark hair looked completely black now, and her fair skin looked nearly white. He had to forcibly look away, when his eyes were drawn to a small droplet of water that was making its way steadily down the smooth skin of her neck.

"H-How are you feeling now?" he coughed, making himself look at her face – and nothing else.

"I-I feel l-like my b-body has been t-trampled by a h-horse," she groaned, her throat hoarse. "A-And my throat is s-sore too."

"Just concentrate on calming your breathing. We'll get you some water to sooth your throat in a moment," said Will, trying not to chuckle at the look on Rosalie's face. It was rather comical.

She nodded again, not wanting to use her voice if she could help it, and slumped back against his chest. She felt absolutely exhausted. Her body ached all over and she just wanted to lie still and rest, lulled by the soft sound of the waves behind them and the feel of Will's heartbeat beneath her fingertips.

But as she let herself relax, she started to think and she was suddenly very aware of something pulling at the edge of her subconscious. Something she had forgotten – something important. Then it came to her.

"That man! Where is he?" she gasped, sitting up and frantically looking around them. "Will, where is he? Where did he go?"

Will grabbed her arm and stopped her from clambering to her feet. "Shh…just calm down." But in all truth he had completely forgotten about that man as well, and it looked like he had taken the opportunity to scarper.

"Don't shush me!" cried Rosalie, her tone panicky. "Where did he go?"

"He must have escaped when I jumped in after you," Will answered, scanning the docks for any sign of her attacker. He had vanished.

"What? Why did you let him escape?" She turned to him, her eyes wide with fear…and something else. She almost looked _angry_ with _him_.

"I am sorry," said Will, after taking a calming breath. She didn't need for him to get angry with her…even though she _was_ seriously trying his patience. "I thought your rescue to be of higher priority."

Her face fell at once and changed to an expression of obvious discomfort. "I-I'm sorry. T-That made me sound very ungrateful. I'm not. Ungrateful, I mean. I'm very _grateful _for you rescuing me."

A slow grin spread across his face and she looked down into her lap, feeling flustered. She did have a way with words. She could muck up even the most simple of sentences and end up mumbling something remarkably stupid.

"I couldn't just let you drown, now could I?" said Will, giving her a grin when she looked up. Her cheeks reddened some more and he chuckled softly. She did look very adorable with red cheeks. He was about to say something else, when he was interrupted by someone calling his name.

"Turner?"

They both turned and found Andrew hurrying towards them, trailed by a couple of men in naval uniform.

"What on earth are you doing man? Do you know-" It was then that Rosalie's brother noticed her, and with a small gasp he was by her side in an instant, clutching her hands and staring at her closely. "Rosalie! What has happened to you?" He stopped and then seemed to take in her appearance completely. "Why are you wet? A-And where is your dress?"

Rosalie looked down and then back up at Andrew and then finally at Will. "I-I don't know. Where _is_ my dress?"

Andrew turned to look at him too and only then did it really hit Will. He looked down at the wet and barely covered young woman in his arms and went bright red. Her shift was plastered to her body, leaving very little to the imagination. "I-I had to take it off…in the water. It weighed us down so I took it off."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. Will was unable to read what the other man was thinking.

"You _undressed _me?" asked Rosalie, shakily. She looked back out at the water. "What did you do with my gown?"

"Oh! I had to leave it. I'm sorry. I-I will buy you another one," said Will quickly, ignoring the fact that it was very unlikely he could afford it. The dress had looked extremely expensive.

"That's unnecessary," said Andrew, pulling off his jacket and draping it around his sister's shoulders. "I owe you for coming to my sister's rescue…yet again." He gave Will a brief nod and then heaved Rosalie into his own arms, rising to his feet. "I should take her home before she catches her death of cold."

"Wait!" said Rosalie, causing Andrew to stop and look down at her. "Mr. Turner is wet too. _He_ is in danger of catching his death. He should come home with us and get dry. Our house is much closer than his. It is the least we could do…considering everything he has done for me."

Andrew looked down at her and then at Will, seemingly considering what she was saying. He nodded again and said, "She's right." He didn't wait for a response but turned and started to stride back towards the fort, speaking to one of the men hurrying at his side, "Please tell my wife that unfortunately we have to leave early."

As the man ran ahead to carry out the order, Rosalie looked over her brother's shoulder to see Will following them at a slightly slower pace. She gave him a hesitant smile and he returned it.

**xxxxxx**

"I've told you before, countless times in fact, not to wander off unaccompanied," said Andrew, his tone harsh. "You would probably be dead now if it wasn't for Mr. Turner's intervention."

"Andrew!" admonished Charlotte, placing her hand on his arm in an effort to placate him. "Rosalie doesn't need you shouting at her. Surely she already knows she shouldn't have wandered so far."

"Yes, but it doesn't stop her doing it again and again, does it?" he snapped back. He didn't mean to sound so angry, but worry always hardened his voice.

Rosalie bit her bottom lip and turned to stare out the carriage window. She knew her brother was right – it _was_ her fault – but his anger still hurt her. She could feel Will looking at her and she turned her head further away and huddled under Andrew's jacket.

She was shivering and her throat still felt raw when she swallowed. She just wanted to get dry, into clean clothes and then into bed. She could feel her eyelids closing even now and she would have fallen asleep right there, if it wasn't for the fact that her shift was clinging uncomfortably to her skin, and for the whispered mutterings of her brother and sister-in-law that kept her from drifting off.

"How are you feeling?" said Will's voice suddenly. She turned and found him leaning forward in the seat across from her. "Did you bang your head when you fell?"

Rosalie shrank back and shook her head. "I-I don't know. All I remember is t-that man and-" She stopped mid-sentence and then her eyes widened as a memory came back to her.

_Lily says 'ello. She sends her love, Miss Middleton._

That man knew her sister – said she sent her love. But that wasn't possible. Lily was dead. She'd never come back home. She had to be dead. She wouldn't have left her family to worry and assume the worst.

"Rosalie?"

She broke free from her thoughts and looked up into Will's concerned eyes. "I-I can't remember, I don't think so."

"We're here," said Charlotte suddenly, straightening up as the carriage trundled to a halt. A few seconds later the driver opened the door and Andrew jumped out and helped his wife down too. Will then followed and Rosalie scooted over to the door before he helped her down to the ground gently.

"Come on, Rosalie, let's get you warm and dry," said Charlotte, putting her arm around Rosalie's shoulders and steering her towards the house. Rosalie let her sister-in-law take charge and lead her to the door. They rang the bell and they waited for someone to answer.

"What's taking so long?" asked Andrew from behind them.

"Be patient," said Charlotte, tightening her arm around Rosalie's shoulders.

"This is ridiculous," he said, leaning forward and knocking sharply on the door. "We pay them good money and they leave us waiting out here in the cold."

Charlotte frowned at her husband. "I'm sure Henry is on his way."

"Well I'm not standing out here any longer. I'm going to try the back door." He turned and marched off around the side of the house. Charlotte shot Will an apologetic look and then followed, pulling Rosalie along with her.

When they reached the back door they found it already open and Andrew staring at it with a frown on his face.

"This shouldn't be open," he said. "Charlotte, dear, did you leave this open?"

"No, of course I didn't. We hardly use this door."

"How strange then," mused Andrew, shaking his head and then stepping into the kitchen.

Rosalie knew something was wrong as soon as she stepped inside. The house was quiet – too quiet. Even when the family of the house was out it was normally alive with activity. "Where is everyone?" she asked, looking around the deserted kitchen.

"I-I don't know," answered Andrew.

"Emily!" she called, moving across the room towards the door.

At once they heard the sound of running footsteps and before Rosalie could move another step, she was nearly knocked off her feet by Emily running into her arms. "Emily? What ever is wrong?"

"Miss Rosalie! I'm so sorry! I didn't know what else to do!" cried the maid, desperately. "None of us knew what to do."

"What are you talking about?" asked Andrew, stepping forwards and looking at Emily with concern.

"T-This man wanted to see Miss Rosalie, sir," she sniffled. "He threatened us sir, told us that if we didn't tell him where she was we would regret it."

"It's alright," said Rosalie, soothingly. She tired to keep her voice calm but inside her heart was hammering against her ribs. "Let's sit you down."

"Here," said Charlotte, pulling out one of the chairs from around the table. She helped Rosalie steer Emily into it. "Now…tell us exactly what happened."

"W-We were on our own – the other maids and me, I mean. We sent Henry and the boys home. We thought you'd all just want to go to bed when you got back, so there was no need for them to be here too. But then there was this knock at the back d-door and we thought…thought it was them – that they'd forgotten something. It wasn't though. It was this man. And he asked…no…he _demanded_ to see M-Miss Rosalie."

"Shh…" said Rosalie, taking the hanky that Charlotte passed her and giving it to the sobbing young woman. "You're doing really well. Now…what happened next?"

Emily sniffled. "Well we told him that you weren't here – that none of you were. He said that we were lying."

"Did he get violent?" asked Andrew, stooping down on the ground beside Rosalie.

"He had a knife, but he didn't use it – he just waved it about."

"So what did the man do next?" prompted Rosalie.

"Well w-we – w-we told him that you were at the fort. We didn't know what else to do! I'm so sorry Rosalie!"

"You did the right thing," she said, softly. "I don't blame you in the slightest."

"I was so afraid he'd hurt you!" Emily stopped and took in her appearance for the first time. "You're soaked! What happened to you?"

"She can tell you tomorrow, but now I think both of you need to sleep," said Andrew, interrupting before Rosalie could decide what to say.

"Yes, yes," said Charlotte. "Where is everyone else Emily?"

"They're all in the study. We hid in there because we were afraid that man would come back," she sniffed.

"Good girl," smiled Andrew. "Now let's get you two in bed." Emily nodded and shakily got to her feet, slowly making her way out of the room. Andrew turned to his sister. "Come on, Rosalie."

Rosalie went to take his hand but then remembered Will. She turned to him and offered him a smile. "Thank you for your assistance this evening."

"I am glad I could _assist _you," replied Will, raising an eyebrow.

Her eyes widened, wondering if she had insulted him but then he smiled and she was powerless to do anything but return it. "I-I had a lovely evening…apart from my impromptu swim." _And apart from seeing you and Elizabeth together._

"I did too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Will," she said, not caring at all that her brother was in the room, and that he might think her calling Will by his first name as terribly improper.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie sat on her window seat, plaiting her hair into a simple braid. She had slept much later than was normal for her, but she put it down to what had happened the previous evening, so didn't feel too guilty.

There was a soft knock on the door and she turned to see Emily entering the room, looking as exhausted as she felt herself. Guilt stabbed at her heart again and she quickly got to her feet.

"Oh Emily! How are you feeling today?" She pulled the girl into a friendly hug and then moved back.

"I am fine, Miss Rosalie – just a little tired. I should ask you the same thing."

Rosalie pulled a face. "Did Charlotte tell you about my little swim in the ocean?"

"She did," said Emily, looking apologetic. "I am _so _sorry for sending that man straight to you."

Rosalie clasped Emily's hands in hers and shook her head. "There is no need for you to be sorry. You had no choice but to tell that man. _I _should be the one apologising. It is because of me that the man came here."

"Don't blame yourself Miss Rosalie. It was just an unfortunate incident that none of us deserved," said Emily. Rosalie got the impression that she was trying to be strong but she could tell the young maid was badly shaken. "And what is this? Why are you dressed already? You should have called for me!"

In spite of everything, Rosalie managed a smile. "I know proper ladies aren't meant to know how to dress themselves, but I have managed to figure out the basics."

She was pleased when Emily burst out laughing and the two women fell into easy conversation that steered well away from water and scary scarred men.

**xxxxxx**

"Miss Rosalie!" called Emily, running into her mistress' bedroom. "Miss Rosalie, Mr. Turner wants to see you!"

"Mr. Turner?" asked Rosalie, her eyes wide. "He is here – right now?"

"Yes!" giggled Emily, grabbing her arm and tugging on it. "He is waiting in the study, miss!"

"Oh hell!" cursed Rosalie, marking the page of the book she was reading with a piece of paper and jumping to her feet. "What am I going to do, Emily? I look…_awful! _I'm wearing an old dress and my hair is in a terrible state!"

"You look fine!" said Emily. "Here. Let me just tidy your hair." Rosalie stood still as she quickly redid her braid and then stood back. "That's better."

"Are you sure I look acceptable?"

"Yes!" laughed Emily. "Mr. Turner thinks you're pretty whatever you are wearing."

Rosalie gave her a stern look but turned and hurried from the room and down the staircase. She could hear voices from inside the study and realised that her brother must be keeping Will company. She knocked on the door and then walked in, her eyes instantly drawn to the tall young man standing by Andrew's desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Turner," she said, politely, her heart leaping when he turned to smile at her.

"Miss Middleton, I came by to see how you are feeling today," he said softly, his eyes taking in her simple but flattering dress and her usual wide smile.

"I am feeling much better now, thank you. A good sleep works wonders."

"Why don't you and Mr. Turner take a stroll in the garden, Rosalie?" suggested Andrew, smirking.

"Yes Andrew, that sounds like a nice idea," she replied, giving him a stern look too.

"Lead the way then," smiled Will, offering her his arm.

She took it and let him out into the garden. "I am glad to see you haven't caught a fever from yesterday."

"I can say the same about you. How is your maid?"

"Emily is alright too. But I feel awful for putting her and everyone else in danger. They could have got hurt because of me," said Rosalie, looking up at the sky. "I'm putting all the people I care about in danger, because of who I am."

"You can't think like that," said Will. "It's not your fault and I'm sure no one believes it is."

"_I _do though," she said so softly that Will had to stoop to hear it.

"It _isn't _your fault. You can't help who you are. No one can."

"Then this is all _Robert's _fault!" She spat out the man's name so viciously that Will was slightly taken aback. "It is because of him that this has all happened."

Will didn't really know what to say to that so he simply led over her over to a bench and sat down beside her. They sat in silence for a moment before he spoke up again. "I never knew my father either."

"You didn't?" she asked, looking up at him.

He shook his head. "It was just me and my mum when I was growing up."

"It must have been hard," she said, her voice soft.

"It was," agreed Will. "I wish I'd known him. I would have liked to have met my father. Even though he left Mum and me, he _is_ still my father."

Rosalie looked down. She knew what he was trying to say – that she shouldn't hate this Robert when she didn't know anything about him. She looked around and fished for something different to talk about. "Tell me more about this Jack Sparrow?"

"What do you want to know?" he smiled, not contesting her change in subject.

"Is he really the fearsome pirate I've heard my brother talking about?" she asked, her voice heavy with discomfort.

"Not really fearsome," he answered. "He's a fine fighter and he does love treasure, but he's a good man essentially."

"What do you mean – essentially?" she asked arching an eyebrow.

"Well…he will bend a situation to his benefit…and he usually goes about things differently that you or I would."

"I see," said Rosalie. She smiled, "But the fact that you took up with him speaks enough about his character. He can't be too bad."

Will smiled but it soon faded. "I would have done anything to-" He broke off and glanced at Rosalie, wishing he knew when to keep his mouth shut.

"To get Elizabeth back," she said. She had a strange expression on her face and after pursing her lips slightly, she dropped her gaze to her lap.

It hadn't been a question but he answered anyway. "Yes."

She looked up and gave him a feeble smile. "She's a lucky woman."

He broke their gaze and looked down. It felt strange to talk about Elizabeth with Rosalie. It was his turn to find something different to talk about. "Well…if you want any pirate on your side…a good one to have would be Jack Sparrow."

She smiled but then her smile flickered and disappeared. "But not all pirates are the same, are they?"

"Well…no."

"If…they – they wouldn't treat a young woman…nicely?" She shifted awkwardly and didn't look up into Will's face.

"Well being _nice _isn't really in a pirate's nature," he answered evenly.

Rosalie closed her eyes and clasped her hands together even tighter. _That man knew Lily. There is only one explanation. _

"What is this all about?"

She looked up and met his gaze. "N-Nothing. I was – was just wondering, that's all."

Will nodded but he wasn't completely put at ease.

"I-I'm sure you've got a lot of things to do. I don't want to keep you if you're busy," she said quickly, forcing a smile onto her face. _I know what I must do. I don't want to but I must do this by myself. I can't put them in danger any longer._

"You're not keeping me from anything important," he smiled. "I wanted to see for myself that you are well."

"That is very kind of you. I must thank you, again, for coming to my rescue. I think I must owe you another pie at least."

"If you do, then I insist you share it with me," he said softly, rising to his feet too.

"I look forward to it," replied Rosalie. _I'm going to miss him… _

He thought her smile looked almost sad but put it down to everything she had been through. "Let me escort you back inside then, milady."

She took his arm and gave a small giggle. They walked inside and stopped in the hall. Will thought it looked like she wanted to say something but was hesitating. "I-I really want to thank you for everything you've done for me. You don't know how grateful I am," she said, allowing her eyes to meet his.

He laughed. "You're welcome…yet again. Like I said, you can pay me back with a pie and your company."

Rosalie smiled and then just stared at him for a second or two. She took a step forwards and then hesitated again, before moving forwards a couple of steps. She stood up on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek gently before pulling back. "Goodbye Will."

Will just stared as she turned and hurried up the stairs, before managing to come to his senses before she disappeared out of sight. "I'll see you soon, Rosalie."

She stopped at the top and gazed down at him, and then after one last sad smile she turned and moved out of his sight.

**A/N: **I hope you all enjoyed this one! Please **review **and let me know what you think!


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **Here is chapter seventeen! I loved writing this chapter so I hope you like it as much as I do. Thank you to all my reviewers! I really appreciate all of your comments!

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

Rosalie sighed as she cast one last look around her bedroom. She wasn't happy about what she was about to do, but she didn't feel she had any other choice. She had to get away. The longer she stayed in Port Royal, the longer she put the people she cared about in danger. Emily and the rest of the staff could have been hurt because of her, she was putting Andrew and Charlotte in danger by living in their house…and then there was Lily.

She could think of only one explanation for that man saying what he had. He had Lily, and she couldn't imagine that he was treating her right. He could have her locked up and he could be hurting her. Rosalie couldn't see him being nice to her.

The very thought made her stomach heave – Lily, beautiful Lily, trapped, alone and scared.

Rosalie returned to her bed, checked the few belongings that she couldn't bear to leave behind and packed them into a satchel. She then pulled on her cloak and fastened it securely around her neck.

She was going to go to the docks and try and barter her way onto a ship to Tortuga. She was hoping that from there she would be able to find some trace of whoever was after her, and then get them to hand over Lily. They could even have the key. Her sister was much more important than some treasure.

Pushing down the urge to break down and cry, she stored a few of the more valuable-looking pieces of jewellery she owned in her cloak pocket, and then placed a note to her brother on her pillow.

She didn't want to leave. She had really begun to feel at home here and now she was leaving. She was going to miss Andrew and Charlotte dreadfully. She had seen so little of her brother over the last few years and it had been wonderful starting to get to know him again. She would miss Emily too. She was more of a friend than a maid. And then there was Will.

Rosalie felt her face burn at the memory of that afternoon. She had kissed him – only on the cheek, but it _was_ a kiss nonetheless. It had been much too bold of her to act on such an un-ladylike urge. But she _had_ wanted to do it. She hadn't known if she would ever have the chance to again, so she had ignored the voice in her head telling her it was a bad idea and had kissed him at the bottom of the stairs.

She wished she could stay. She was only just beginning to really get to know him and now she was running away, disappearing into the night.

Would he even notice she was gone? Would he miss her, like she knew she would miss him? She didn't know.

She was ready. It was time to go. Picking up the satchel and walking over to the door, she looked around the room and sighed. She didn't know if she would ever see it again. Against her will, one of the tears that had begun to gather in her eyes broke free to slide down her cheek.

_Lily. _

She had to save Lily.

She took a deep breath, wiped her cheeks dry and then pressed her ear to the door. Silence. It was late and everyone was in bed. The coast was clear.

She carefully opened the door, wincing when it creaked and then slipped out of her room. She checked the hallway and seeing that her brother and sister-in-law's door was shut, tiptoed towards the stairs. The staircase groaned under her feet and as quietly as possible she made her way down, before pausing at the bottom once again.

The whole of the house was silent and she could hear nothing but the tick-tocking of the old grandfather clock to her right.

Feeling assured that it was safe to proceed, Rosalie headed for the kitchen and took the key from the hook beside the back door. She glanced back once more and then unlocked the door and pulled it open.

The cool night air hit her straightaway and pulling her cloak tighter around her body, she exited the house and closed and locked the door behind her. She placed the key under a plant pot, hoping her brother would think to look there, and then headed for the main gate. She reached the gate, unlatched it and then slipped through.

After making sure the gate was secure again, she looked up at the sky and let out a shaky sigh. She was just about to turn and walk away, when a hand shot out from the darkness and grabbed her arm.

**xxxxxx**

_Something isn't right._

The same thought had been bugging Will ever since he'd left the Middleton's.

Well, that, and the kiss.

It was strange how the briefest, softest touch of her lips against his cheek could have his mind and body spinning. He could almost feel her lips on his skin still.

But that wasn't all that was occupying his mind. Something had been troubling Rosalie. He had been able to tell from her eyes that something was wrong.

_Goodbye Will._

Her words kept on repeating inside his head.

_Goodbye…goodbye…goodbye._

Then it hit him.

"She wouldn't?" he spoke aloud. "She wouldn't do that." _Would she?_

He had to find out. He couldn't just sit there.

Grabbing his jacket, he leaped towards the door and hurried up the street towards her house.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie spun around to see who had grabbed her, her hand already rising, ready to strike. "Will!" she exclaimed, letting her hand fall to her side.

"What are you doing?"

"I should be the one asking that question! You shouldn't creep up on people like that!" She tried to pull her wrist free from his grip but he wouldn't loosen his hold.

"What are you doing out here at this time?" he asked, completely ignoring what she had just said. "Does you brother know you're out here?"

She contemplated making up a lie to fend him off. She could tell him she just fancied a late night stroll. But at the same time as that pretend scenario came to her, she was already disregarding it.

She couldn't lie to Will. He would see straight through her lies. Plus, she didn't _want _to lie to him. She wanted to tell someone. She wanted to offload some of her worries onto someone else.

And more than anything, she wanted that person to be Will.

"I don't think your brother would approve of you taking a walk this late at night," said Will, hoping that she _was_ just out for a walk, but at the same time knowing it was much too late for it to be that.

"No, he wouldn't. That's why he's in bed, thinking I'm in bed too. And I'm not going for a walk. I'm going to Tortuga." She said it as if she was telling him she was going for tea with a friend.

Will was so shocked that he didn't know what to say, so he grabbed her arm and started to pull her back towards the gate.

Rosalie gasped and tried to tug her arm free. "Let me go! I'm not going back, Will!"

"Of course you are!" he said, pausing to look back at her. "What did you expect me to do - wish you luck and then send you on your way? Well, I'm going to take you back and then explain to your brother that I found you sneaking out so you could go to a pirate port. How do you think he will take that news?"

"No! Please, Will!" she cried, digging her heels in as he turned to open the gate. "I _must_ go! The longer I stay here, the more chance there is of you getting hurt!"

"What do you mean – getting hurt?" asked Will, turning to look at her.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm putting everyone in danger – Andrew, Charlotte, Emily…even you."

He loosened his hold on her arm and asked, in a much softer voice, "Why are you putting us in danger?"

"That man has come for that key, twice now. He will probably come for it again. You saw how scared Emily was! I'm bringing trouble into my brother's home. I'm putting them in danger. Next time, someone might really get hurt!"

"And you think leaving is the answer? You'd be even more of a target then. You'd be alone and vulnerable," said Will. "Your brother is looking for your attacker-"

"He's getting no where!" she cried. "A-And he can't keep searching. He's got his career to think about - he's using their resources, and following dead-end leads when he should be concentrating on his duties. The Navy won't be as understanding if it carries on for much longer."

"What are you going to do when you get to Tortuga?" he asked, hoping to throw her off. This was surely a spur-of-the-moment thing, and when she realised this was a stupid idea she would go home willingly.

Rosalie looked down and pulled her cloak tighter around herself. "I'm going to try and find...Jack Sparrow."

"S-Sparrow?" asked Will, his mind whirling. "You are going to try and find Jack Sparrow?"

"Well you yourself said, if you wanted a pirate on your side then he was the one to have," she answered, looking at him pointedly.

"But he's a…well…a _pirate_? I thought you didn't like them?"

Rosalie felt her face grow warm. "Well…if I'm to catch a pirate, then I need a pirate."

"That's your logic?" he asked, with a hint of a smile.

"Well yes. I thought with him being…the great _Captain _Jack Sparrow…he may know something about this man who's after me." She put her hands on her hips and looked up at him.

"If you find Jack Sparrow – if being the key word there - then what are you going to do?"

"I-I don't know – go after that man and organise an exchange, maybe."

That stumped him. "Exchange?"

Rosalie bit her lip then answered. "I-I think he may have my sister."

"You have-" started Will, taking a step back.

"A sister, yes," she answered, a small smile on her lips. "She's my elder by three years and her name is Lily."

He frowned. "W-Why have-"

"Why have I never mentioned her? Well…we thought she was dead. When I was fourteen she went away for a bit. She said she'd come back…but she never did." She ducked her head and fiddled with the clasp of her cloak.

"You assumed the worst?" asked Will, softly. He had completely released her wrist by now.

"Yes. We couldn't think of any other explanation. She would never have left us worrying over her well-being. S-She used to send us letters. They stopped too. Now, years later, that man mentions her. I've been thinking…" Rosalie trailed off and then looked up at him. "Do you think there is even the smallest possibility that they thought Lily had the key, and so therefore kidnapped her?"

He remembered how that man had mentioned something about a Lily. He had wondered what that had all been about. "There is a possibility, but how do you explain her disappearance all those years ago? Are you saying they kidnapped her back then and have kept her all this time?"

This made her feel worse. _Has she been trapped with them all these years? What if she _is _dead? _She could feel a sob rising in her throat but she swallowed it down and met his gaze determinedly. "I-If there is even the _slightest _chance they have her then I can't stay here and do nothing. She's my sister."

The fierce light in her eyes made his anger diminish entirely. He knew what she was feeling – the helplessness and desperation that overcome you, when someone you loved was in danger. He had felt it when Elizabeth was taken. He had never felt so helpless before in his life, and he hadn't been able to think about anything except what she could be going through. He had wanted to go after her, just like Rosalie wanted to go after her sister.

But he couldn't just let her go. He had to at least try and persuade her to think about going about it a different way. "A-Are you sure you can't talk to your brother about this? You could be running headlong into absolutely anything."

"I _can't _wait any longer! I've been going over it all again and again. I can't think of another explanation. I'm going mad with worry, Will!"

"Shush…" he said, pulling her into his arms as she broke down into tears. He rubbed her back gently, cradling her against him as she sobbed into his chest. "I understand…really I do. But I'm just trying to get you to think about this."

"I-I know," sobbed Rosalie. "I just need to do _s-something_."

"And you think Jack Sparrow could help you?"

"I-I was going to offer him some jewellery, in exchange for his help. A pirate can't say no to something shiny, right?" she questioned softly.

Will laughed and pulling her closer, replied, "I don't think your jewellery would interest Jack, somehow."

"T-Then I'll think of some other way to repay him," she said, pulling back so she could look at him.

He tensed as he thought that Jack could definitely think of some other way she could repay him, and he didn't like that thought one bit.

Staring down at her, his eyes were drawn to her lips – the lips that had kissed him earlier. "W-Why couldn't you tell me about this plan of yours?" The thought that she'd rather go to a complete stranger for help than come to him, stung him deeply.

Rosalie could see what was going through his mind and quickly wanted to reassure him. "I-I wanted to. But I knew you would try and stop me…and I am determined to go."

He looked back up and stared into her eyes. "If it was what you really wanted, I wouldn't have stopped you."

Her heart had speeded up and her breath had caught in her chest. "I-I didn't want to worry you."

Unable to stop himself, Will reached out to cup her cheek. He smoothed his thumb over the soft skin. "I would have worried more, if I'd woken up in the morning to find out you'd vanished."

Her face was warming under his touch. She couldn't look away from him dark eyes. "I-I'm sorry," she said in little more than a whisper.

He looked down at her lips again. She was so close. If he leaned forward a little bit more…. But he couldn't possibly take advantage of the situation. She was worried and upset. He pulled back and lowered his hand from her face. He thought he saw a flash of disappointment cross her face, but is was gone before he could really take notice. "I'm coming with you."

The hazy look on Rosalie's face quickly cleared and she shook her head before frowning up at him. "W-What did you just say?"

He cleared his throat and repeated the sentence. "I'm coming with you."

"Oh no, you're not!" she cried, shaking her head. "You can't…you've got the blacksmiths to run…I haven't once seen anyone there but you…so it would fall apart if you went away!" She paused and looked around wildly for another reason. "A-And you just can't leave! You can't just drop everything for…for me!"

"I can…and I will," said Will, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smile. "I can shut the smithy. I don't mind. The work will be here when I get back."

"It's a mad idea - absolutely mad! It's-…" Rosalie noticed the wide smile on his face and stopped. "You aren't going to take no for an answer are you?"

"Nope," he grinned. "I think it's a brilliant idea. I know Jack Sparrow. I may be of some use to you."

"But I can't ask you to just drop everything? It's not fair!"

"Lily is important to you…and I want to be there for you. Besides…" He grinned and took her satchel for her. "Did you really expect me to let you go off on your own?"

"Well…no…"

"I either come with you or you don't go at all."

"I'm going."

"It's decided then," said Will. "Now…what happens next in your grand plan?"

Rosalie reddened and lifted her chin up. "I-I was going to go down to the docks and try and find a midnight sailing for Tortuga."

"Right then," he smiled. "We must have about an hour then. We'll go back to the smithy and I'll pack a few things, and then we'll see if we can sort out our passage."

**xxxxxx**

"A-Are you sure about this?" asked Rosalie, watching as Will rushed around his loft, collecting his more important valuables. "You can still back out."

"Not a chance," he grinned, pausing to look at her. "You're not getting rid of me, I'm afraid."

She smiled and turned so he wouldn't see her blushing. She was secretly thrilled that he was coming along with her. She already felt better now that she knew Will was going to be accompanying her, and she knew he could prove useful when finding Jack Sparrow. But, mostly, she was just pleased to have his company.

She knew it was a lot to ask of him though. He had a life here and she was taking him away from it. He didn't have any reason for going except to keep her safe and to offer his assistance. "W-Will…I don't want you to think it's your _duty _to come along."

He stopped and turned to look at her. She was gnawing at her bottom lip, and was apparently very interested in the wood grain of the table she was sitting at. He sighed, put his bag down and walked over to her.

"Listen to me," he said, pulling a chair closer to her and sitting down on it. "I _want_ to come with you. I want to be there to support you and help you. I don't want you out there on your own."

He reached for her hand and pulled it towards him. "But mostly I would miss you terribly if you left and I stayed here." He looked up at her wide eyes. "I guess I've kinda gotten used to having you around."

"Will…" She was entranced by the way his thumb was gently stroking hers. Shaking her head she looked back up at his face and gave him a shaky smile. "I've kinda gotten used to having you around too."

"Good." He smiled slowly and reached out to brush some of her hair from her face. He heard her soft gasp and let his eyes meet hers. There were so many different emotions written in her eyes.

He suddenly wanted to reassure her that everything would be alright. "Rosalie, we will find out if this pirate has Lily. We will find Jack and ask him if he knows anything, then we'll go from there. I won't let anything harm you." He meant it too. He would gladly kill any man who dared lay a hand on her.

He couldn't look away from her gaze and he was helpless to do anything but sink further into her eyes. He hadn't felt this way in a long time.

"Do you understand me?" he asked softly, letting his fingers brush down the length of her cheek. He watched as her eyes closed. "Rosalie? Did you hear me?"

Her eyes fluttered open. Her complete trust for him was written in those eyes – along with something else. He couldn't quite tell what it was, but it was definitely there and it made his heart speed up. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Will's touch was making her skin tingle and her heart was beating so loudly in her ears, that she was sure he must be able to hear it too. She moistened her lips with her tongue. "I-I know you won't."

He wanted to kiss her but he also knew now wasn't the time. He dropped his hand from her cheek, and settled for lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss to the pulse point on the underside of her wrist. "We should get going."

Rosalie let her hand drop to her side after he dropped it and watched as he went to retrieve his bag from the floor. He returned to her side and offered her a hand up. She took it and followed him to the door.

"Let's see if your trinkets can pay for a trip to Tortuga?"

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**A/N: **Please **review** and tell me what you think about this one! 


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **I am so sorry for keeping you waiting but here is chapter eighteen! Thank you to all my reviewers and to everyone who is reading this story. I really love hearing from you all! So without further ado here is the next chapter and I hope you enjoy it.

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**Chapter Eighteen**

Will and Rosalie made their way along the dock, stopping at each ship they passed and asking if they were going to Tortuga. Luckily the very last ship was, and Will immediately set about trying to barter their passage.

"No, we need _two_ cabins," said Will, feeling frustrated. Why was it, that when they _finally _found a ship going to Tortuga, it happened to only have one cabin free? "Surely you've got two. Can't you just check again?"

"I'm sorry, sir," said the man, sounding rather agitated himself. "I _know _that we only have one cabin available. I can't just kick someone out because you didn't think to book in advance." He glanced at Rosalie and added, "Surely one of the midday sailings would be more suitable at any rate. I suggest you go home and come back in the morning."

"We need to set off for Tortuga _tonight_," said Will through his teeth. He glanced at Rosalie and then having seemingly decided something, turned back to the short, balding man in front of them. "We'll take the one cabin."

The man's eyebrows rose dramatically. "I run a respectable business so unless you two are married-"

"She's my sister," interrupted Will at once. "We can share a cabin without a problem."

The man didn't appear too convinced. "What are your names?"

"I'm Will Turner and the lady is Rosalie Turner," replied Will at once. He tried to ignore the pleasant fluttering feeling in his stomach, which seemed to owe its existence to the fact that he rather liked the thought of Rosalie having his name.

The man still looked unsure. He looked from one to the other, appearing to be considering something. "How were you hoping to pay?"

Rosalie instantly fumbled for the jewellery in her pockets and pulled out two necklaces and a silver ring. "Here. They aren't much but I'm sure you could get something for them."

He took them from her and lifted them up so he could get a closer look. "No…these look to be worth a fair penny." Rosalie and Will shared a knowing look. "Alright then, I'll take these and you can have the last cabin. But I don't want any funny business!"

"Why thank you _sir_," replied Rosalie, sarcastically.

**xxxxxx**

However, Will quickly started to regret accepting the one cabin. The double bed took up most of the small room and as there was only one small porthole on the back wall, the room was very intimate.

"W-Well…erm…this is…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck in an effort to hide his discomfort.

"Cosy?" offered Rosalie, smiling nervously. She undid her cloak and draped it across a chair – the only piece of furniture in the room apart from the bed.

"Yeah," chuckled Will, watching as she perched herself on the edge of the worn out mattress. Silence fell between them and for the first time since leaving the smithy, he allowed himself to really look at her.

The memory of what had transpired between them earlier played over in his mind, and he thought that Rosalie could be thinking about it too, as she kept shooting him furtive glances before looking down into her lap.

He could no longer deny the attraction he felt for her. There was no getting away from the fact he wanted to kiss her – no matter how many times he tried to tell himself it would only cause him more hurt in the end.

There was also no denying, if his intuition was correct, that she seemed to feel the same way. He could see it in her eyes and the way she yielded so easily to his touch.

He took the two steps to the bed and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry about this. I know it's not what you're used to but I'll sleep on the floor and-"

Rosalie looked up instantly and shook her head. "Oh no! You will not sleep on the floor after you've practically dropped everything to come with me. I will not have it!"

"I don't mind. Honestly I don't," he said, taking her hand and pulling it into his lap.

Her breathing hitched and she knew he was not just talking about sleeping on the floor. She glanced behind her and then back at the man sitting in front of her. "I'm sure we could share the bed. There looks to be plenty of room to me."

"I don't know-"

"It's either that or _I'm _sleeping on the floor. As I know you're a gentlemen you'll be sharing the bed with me," she stated in a voice that allowed no room for argument.

"If you're sure?" he laughed.

"Of course I'm sure." She gave his hand a squeeze. "I don't think you know how grateful I am for everything you've done for me."

"Oh, I don't know," grinned Will, tilting his head to the side as if in thought. "I think you have told me, oh, nearly a hundred times."

Her cheeks coloured and she ducked her head again. "I do have a habit of repeating myself to the point of embarrassing myself."

He chuckled and reached out, hooking her chin with a finger and tilting her face up. "Oh I wouldn't say that. Personally I think it's adorable."

He watched as her eyes widened and her cheeks flamed yet again. She looked down and then almost instantly looked up again. Their eyes met and neither of them were able to look away. They were trapped – trapped within the intensity of the other's gaze.

Rosalie's eyes drifted to his lips and almost imperceptibly she leaned closer. Was she imagining it or was he leaning towards her too? "I _really _do appreciate you putting your life on hold for me."

"It was nothing," answered Will. He leaned forward and was delighted when she didn't retreat. "Plus perhaps my motives for coming along aren't entirely unselfish."

"Sorry?" she breathed. She felt almost short of breath as he continued to stare intently at her.

"Perhaps I came because I couldn't bear to watch you leave without me." He reached out and brushed his thumb along her jaw before grasping her chin between his thumb and fore finger. Ignoring the voice in the back of his head, yelling that this would only make matters worse, he closed the remaining distance between them.

Rosalie's heart stilled for a moment as he brushed his lips against hers before pulling back. Will searched her eyes, looking for any sign of regret. She stared straight back and still reeling from the feeling of finally feeling his lips on hers, reached out and grasped the front of his shirt pulling him back towards her. He moved forwards eagerly...but before he could kiss her again the ship lurched to the side making her gasp and jump backwards in alarm.

Will sighed and closed his eyes before turning to the nervous woman beside him – the woman who he had _so _nearly kissed. "I think we're on the move at last. We should try and get some sleep," he told her, unwillingly getting to his feet. Rosalie was avoiding his gaze and was brushing the creases out of her skirt.

"Yes, that is probably a good idea," she agreed, getting to her feet too.

"I'll go up on deck for a bit to give you chance to get ready for bed. I won't be gone long." He caught her eye as she finally looked up and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright." She returned the smile and he quickly left the cabin.

The cabin door clicked shut behind him and Rosalie gave a small girly squeal before dropping down on to the bed. She stared up at the ceiling and smiled dreamily. _This is what women must mean when they talk about falling in love. _

That thought had the similar effect as someone blowing out a candle. The smile on her face vanished at once and she sat up, moving to sit on the edge of the bed again. She couldn't be falling in love. She knew that Will still loved Elizabeth, and so couldn't possibly return her feelings. In all her childhood fantasies, she'd never once considered the possibility that she'd fall in love with someone who didn't love her back. It seemed to take the shine off the whole idea.

Feeling her happy mood slip away, she got to her feet and struggled out of her gown so she was left in only her shift. She knew that Will cared about her. He'd proved that fact, beyond any doubt, by dropping everything to come on a wild goose chase with her. And he'd just _kissed_ her. There must be _some _attraction there. She knew that she hadn't imagined the hazy look in his eyes just before he kissed her, or the way he had softly, almost reverently touched her skin…

But she was sure of one thing. As sure as she knew her own name, she knew that she'd _never _take Elizabeth's place in Will's heart.

Rosalie shook her head and pulled back the bed covers before slipping beneath them and lying down. She snuggled into the pillow, making sure there was still plenty of room left for Will on the other side. She vaguely wondered what her brother would do if he ever found out she'd shared a bed with Will, wearing only her under-things.

This thought opened up the flood gates and her mind was suddenly awash with thoughts of Andrew, and what he'd do when he found her gone. The full realisation of what she'd done, hit her fully and her defences crumbled.

She'd run away from home, away from her big brother and the only real friends she had in the world. And she'd dragged along the one man who confused her more than any other.

**xxxxxx**

Will stared out at the port that he called his home. They were already far enough away that he could only make out the faint outline of the buildings, and the flickering lights that always sprung up after sunset.

He leaned his forearms on the railing and sighed. He'd never imagined ever having the need to leave Port Royal again, and here he was, on a ship, hoping to find a pirate he'd hoped he'd never have to see again. And all of this for a woman.

He shook his head and grinned despite himself. He'd outdone himself this time.

But even as he stared longingly back at the quickly diminishing town, he knew that deep down he didn't want to be anywhere else. This was where she was. This was where she needed him to be.

He closed his eyes and breathed in some of the fresh sea air. He wasn't quite sure how to approach going back into the cramped and humid cabin. Did he mention the kiss? Did he pretend it never happened? Damn it all, he would march in there and demand for another one, if he could.

Groaning under his breath, Will covered his face with his hands. See what she did to him? He'd promised himself that he'd never fall for another woman. He shouldn't feel like this. It was wrong. _Look at what happened with Elizabeth…_

Why was he thinking about this? He didn't love Rosalie. He couldn't possibly. _I'm definitely attracted to her though, I know that. _

"The young miss asleep?"

Will jumped out of his skin at the interruption of his thoughts. He spun around to find the man who they'd bartered their passage off earlier. "Sorry? What did you say?"

"Is your sister asleep?" repeated the man, jutting a thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of the cabins.

"Oh, yeah. I…err…think she's tired out."

"Why do you two want to go to Tortuga? Got someone waiting there for you?" asked the man, joining Will at the railing.

"Err…we're…trying to find someone," answered Will, slightly startled by the sudden questioning.

"Who?"

"Err…an old friend."

"You two on your own? Parents dead?"

Will thought he should be affronted but he found he couldn't really be bothered. "Yeah. We've been on our own for a while."

"The little miss got a husband?" continued the man, glancing at Will.

"No, no."

"No one good enough for your sister, ey?" chuckled the man. "Although…" he paused and stroked his chin thoughtfully, "…she has got a mouth on her I notice."

Will laughed and turned to face the man properly. "She has indeed. I'll agree with you on that, but as her…brother…I really should defend her honour and say she has spirit."

The balding ship-owner chuckled and studied the younger man closely. "You two are close? You're all each other have left?"

Will scratched his neck before nodding. "You could say that."

"You're a good lad," smiled the man giving Will a pat on the back. "But how about you? You got a wife waiting for you at home?"

Will turned to look out at the darkness surrounding them, and cracked a small smile. "I'm afraid not."

"No? No pretty girl who has caught your fancy?" asked the man, smiling slyly.

Will laughed before glancing at the man. He didn't know why, but it felt good to talk, it felt good to talk to someone who didn't know you, who wouldn't pass judgement. "Well…there is someone."

"That-a-boy!" laughed the man, thumping Will on the back again. "If there is someone, why haven't you swept her off her feet yet?"

"It's…err…complicated," he answered truthfully.

"Matters of the heart are always complicated, lad," said the man seriously. "But if there's one thing I regret, most of all, about becoming a sailor, it's that I missed out on having a family." He sighed but then smiled at Will. "But, you – you're still young! You should grab what you can! If there's something you want, grab it with both hands and never let it go!"

Suddenly he seemed to realise what he was saying. His already ruddy face coloured even more and he turned to face the open ocean again.

Will was slightly stunned by this outburst…but also oddly comforted by it. This just goes to prove that first impressions can be deceiving, he thought wistfully. The grumpy ship-owner wasn't as mean as he put on. He was rather like a grouchy but loveable uncle who, once he relaxed, was able to regale you with tales of exciting, long past adventures. You could never quite believe that these adventures really happened, but you loved listening to them nonetheless.

Will reached out and grasped the man's shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze. "You want to know something? I think I'm going to take your advice."

The man turned and then nodded curtly. "Good lad."

Will smiled and got a small smile in return. After glancing back at Port Royal one last time, he turned and headed back for his cabin.

He found Rosalie already in bed, fast asleep. She was curled up, lying on her side, holding the bed-covers tightly up to her chin. But one glance at the dress draped over the back of the chair told him she was currently in a state of undress. This thought didn't make climbing into bed next to her very easy.

He stripped down to his trousers and climbed in beside her. The shifting of the bed must have woken her up because two seconds after he'd settled down, she spoke up.

"Will?"

"Yeah. Are you alright?"

She turned over so she was facing him and nodded her head. The flickering light from the single candle mounted to the wall beside the bed, cast shadows across her face. Will thought she looked almost ethereal, and he had to fight not to reach out and trace the line of her nose or the arch of her eyebrows.

Trying to regain some type of control, he looked away from her face and noticed, for the first time, that she was in danger of falling out of the bed. "If you were any nearer the edge, you'd be on the floor. Move closer, Rosalie."

Her face aflame, she moved closer but still maintained some distance between them. He chuckled and rolled over onto his side too. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, very," she smiled. She stared at him and without thinking, reached out to brush a stray curl behind his ear. "Oh…s-sorry-"

But before she could finish he reached out and captured her hand before she could withdraw it completely. He placed a kiss to her knuckles and then released her hand again. "Don't apologise."

She smiled and then closed her eyes. "I'm sleepy."

"Go to sleep. I'm sorry for waking you." He leaned over and blew the candle out, before settling back against his pillow again. "Good night Rosalie."

He heard the rustle of the bed-covers as she scooted closer and then the sound of her settling down again. "Good night Will."

**

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A/N: **I hope you enjoyed it! Please **review** and tell me! 

You might have noticed that I've lowered the rating to T. This is because there is nothing that really warrants a higher rating yet, and I don't want to deter anyone from reading it because of a rating that's too high anyway. If I do feel it needs to go up again I will do so but far now it will stay T.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **This chapter was fun to write. I hope you all like it too. Thank you so much for your reviews! Please keep them coming!

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**Chapter Nineteen**

The next morning Rosalie woke up to find that at some point during the night - sometime between when she'd been jolted awake by a nightmare and waking up now - she'd taken it upon herself to snuggle up to Will.

She was lying, tucked into his side with her head resting on his chest. She didn't dare move for fear of waking him up, but she could feel his arm wrapped around her waist and she was sure if she moved her legs slightly she'd find they were tangled with his own.

She stiffened as he shifted beneath her then settled and stilled once more. She _definitely _didn't want to hear what he'd say if he woke to find himself in such an intimate position.

Taking great care to disturb him as little as possible, she started to untangle herself from his embrace. She held her breath and peeled his arm from her waist and placed it on the mattress.

She felt her cheeks burn as the blankets fell away to reveal Will's tanned muscular torso. She'd never seen a man without a shirt and she found that she was quite unprepared.

He was so…_beautiful. _She was aware that he'd probably prefer a more manly description, but as she stared at his broad shoulders and toned stomach, she couldn't think of a better word than that.

She looked back up at his face and took the opportunity to admire him. His hair was particularly dark against the dirty white of the pillow and it was sticking up in all directions. Rosalie thought it was funny that even with his mouth wide open, he was handsome. She smiled and gently brushed an unruly curl from his forehead.

"I bet I look a right sight, don't I?"

She jumped and stared down at him, her own mouth falling open. "You're awake?"

Will cracked one eye open, grinned and then closed his eye again. "Yeah. I'm a light sleeper and you were warm, so when you-…" He opened both his eyes and she noticed that he was blushing. "Well, let's just say you woke me up."

He wasn't the only one blushing when he moved to sit up, making the bed-covers slip from her shoulders and pool around her waist. She knew that Will had already seen her in only a shift – a wet and clingy one at that – but she felt she should at least try to be modest. She had been brought up a proper lady after all.

Instantly she grabbed the offending blanket and tugged it back up to her chin. Will chuckled and swung his legs over the side of the bed, getting to his feet. Rosalie averted her eyes as he looked around for his shirt, threw it on and then sat back down on the bed so he could pull on his shoes.

"I'll go and try and find us some breakfast. You get dressed," he told her.

"Alright," she answered, watching as he got to his feet, smiled and left the cabin. Once she was sure he wasn't coming back, she got up too and picking up her gown, started to dress for the day.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie groaned as she sat back down on the deck after emptying the contents of her stomach yet again. She leaned back against the railings and tilted her head up to look at the blue cloud-free sky.

"Feel any better?" asked Will, crouching down on the ground in front of her. "Is your stomach still queasy?"

"My stomach is doing cartwheels and-" She stopped and clutched her stomach as she visibly paled. "Will the ground ever stop rocking?"

He chuckled. "I think you'll find that is because we're out at sea. The ground isn't flat here you see."

"Oh ha-ha," she replied flatly.

"I'll get you something to drink. You don't want to get dehydrated," he said, getting to his feet and walking off towards the galley.

Rosalie watched him go. He'd been ever so understanding – sitting with her and rubbing her back as she threw up the porridge and fruit they'd had for breakfast. But she half wished he'd just leave her alone. She was sure she must look horrible right now. To be truthful, it was all rather embarrassing.

At that moment she felt her stomach heave again and scrabbling to her feet, she just managed to lean over the side in time. She moaned and clutched the railings tightly, wondering why she was being so affected by sea sickness now when she'd been on ships before and been fine.

Perhaps it was all this worrying she'd been doing lately. She often found herself thinking about Lily and where she could be right now. She wondered what she looked like now and if she still braided her hair in the same long plait, and pursed her lips in that way that told you she was annoyed.

Tears mingled with the sweat trickling down her face as she threw up again. She wiped a hand across her forehead and looked down at the waves swirling below. That probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, because a second later her stomach heaved again and she was leaning over the rail once more.

Suddenly someone was beside her, holding back her hair and rubbing her back. She glanced to the side and smiled feebly at a very concerned looking Will.

"You'll get your sea legs soon," he said soothingly. "Just let your tummy settle and then you can lie down for a bit."

He brushed her hair back off her sweaty face, trying not to grimace at how clammy she felt. She looked awful.

"I don't think I've got _anything _left to bring up," she told him, in a weak attempt to lighten the mood.

He laughed and eased her down into a sitting position, sitting down beside her and then holding out a flagon of water. "Drink this."

"Thank you," she mumbled, taking it and sipping at the liquid. She sighed and let herself lean against his side.

Will glanced at her, wondering whether she realised what she was doing. "W-We'll be in Tortuga by nightfall."

"Do you have any idea where Jack might be?" asked Rosalie, staring off at the horizon. The sooner they found this Jack Sparrow the better, she thought to herself. They needed to find Lily quickly.

"I have a vague idea," answered Will smiling. "Well I know where to look first."

"What happens if we don't find him?" she voiced the worry that had been nagging at her all morning.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "But a ship has to make port at some point and Tortuga is the best pirate port around."

"Have you been there before?" she asked, looking both shocked and impressed.

"Yeah, I have," he replied awkwardly. "I went there with Jack when we went after…Elizabeth."

Rosalie tried to ignore the stab of pain in her chest and frowned. "You…went to a pirate port…when you were supposed to be saving Elizabeth?"

Will frowned at the accusation. "It wasn't for pleasure. We had to get a crew."

"Oh," she said, dropping her gaze to her lap. She could feel her cheeks burning and she knew it had something to do with his choice of wording. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I was accusing you of something. I didn't mean it like that at all."

"I knew you didn't," he sighed.

He looked around and realised they were nearly completely alone on deck. It was nearly lunchtime so he assumed that people were going down below to see what there was to eat. He was starting to feel hungry himself but would wait till Rosalie was settled before leaving her for too long.

"Do you want to go and lie down now?" he asked her.

She turned and looked up at him. "Can I stay here a little longer? I think being cooped up in a cabin might make me feel worse."

"If that's what you want," said Will with a nod. His lunch would have to wait. His stomach seemed to protest to this though, as it chose that moment to rumble loudly. He glanced at his companion and saw that she was trying not to giggle.

"You can go and get yourself something to eat you know," she smiled. "I assure you I'm quite alright here."

"Well I am a bit hungry," he agreed. This drew another giggle from Rosalie. He grinned and got to his feet and looked down at her. "Shall I get you something? An apple or some bread?"

"Oh no," she said, shaking her head. "I'm going to let my stomach rest."

"Good idea," he agreed. "I won't be long."

"Take your time!" she called after him as he started to walk away.

He turned back, smiled and then headed for the galley once again.

**xxxxxx**

Will returned a while later, laden with a small bowl of soup, a large chunk of bread and an apple. He smiled when his eyes found Rosalie exactly where he had left her. She was sitting, leaning against the rail, with her legs drawn up to her chest and her chin resting on top of her knees.

She was looking off into the distance and Will followed her gaze to see a group of gulls soaring in circles above the waves. She seemed to be in deep thought about something and he took this opportunity to quietly study her.

She looked better. He could see, even from this distance, some colour had returned to her cheeks.

He could also see that she was attracting some attention from the young crew members working around the ship. This didn't sit too well with Will at all.

Of course _he _could admire how she looked sitting in the afternoon sun, but he didn't want anyone else to.

He shook his head, trying to shake off the feelings of jealousy. He had no reason to be jealous. She wasn't his and she was attractive after all. It was only normal that she'd attract some stares on a ship of mostly men.

But when Will spotted one of the men putting down the rag he was holding, looking like he was about to approach Rosalie, he dropped the act and strode across the deck towards the young woman before the other man had even taken a step in her direction.

"Rosalie, I thought I would join you." He made sure his voice was loud enough to carry across to the young man. He knew it was childish but he couldn't help it.

Rosalie jumped and spun around to face him, clutching a hand to her chest. "Will, you scared me!"

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. He help up his bundle of food and grinned. "May I join you miss?"

"Of course you can, _sir_," she said, rolling her eyes.

He grinned and sat down beside her, risking a quick glance at the young crew member. To his immense satisfaction he had returned to scrubbing the deck with a rather put-out look on his face.

Feeling significantly more cheerful Will laid out the food on the deck in front of them. He turned to Rosalie and smiled. "You're looking better. Have you found your sea legs?"

She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "It's really strange. I've been on ships before and been absolutely fine. I don't know what's different this time."

"You ran away from home in the middle of the night, you're worried about your sister and you've got a necklace that some pirate is after. I think that is enough to cause it to take slightly longer for your body to adjust."

"You may be right," she said, pulling at a loose cotton on her dress. "I-I've been having nightmares."

Will looked up from his soup. "What kind of nightmares?"

"Just about Lily. And what she may be going through right now." She sighed and turned to Will. "What if she _is _dead? I-I don't know if I could take that again. I thought that part of my life was over. I've mourned for her but now I-I just…I don't know anything!"

He slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "I can't say I understand how you feel. I don't know how I'd feel if I was in your position. But I'll tell you this – we will find out everything we can. I promise you that."

He felt her tuck her face into his neck. The feel of her warm breath on his skin was doing strange things to his stomach.

"Thank you Will. I don't think I could have gotten through all this without you," she said quietly.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "What else are…friends for." He wanted to kick himself. He had faltered on calling her a friend.

He didn't really know what to call their relationship…but he _did _know that Rosalie had enough on her mind at the moment. He didn't want to add to the load - especially when he wasn't sure of her feelings for him.

"Hmm…" she mumbled.

"Are you tired?" he asked, looking down at her. "Do you want to go for a lie down now?"

"Yes…I think a nap would do me some good," she admitted pulling away.

Will immediately missed her warmth. He collected together his food and got to his feet, holding out a hand. "Come on then."

**xxxxxx**

Someone was shaking her. She was being dragged from the flowering garden where she'd been walking with a certain blacksmith.

"Wake up Rosalie."

Her eyes shot open and she found herself staring up into Will's dark eyes.

"Finally," he chuckled. "I thought I was going to have to carry you off the ship."

Rosalie pushed herself up into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "I-I was just having a nice dream – the first one I've had for a while."

"Well I'm sorry to disturb you…but we've reached Tortuga."

"Tortuga? We're there already?" she asked surprised. She glanced out the porthole to see that the sun was now low in the sky. "How long have I been asleep?"

"You've slept right through the afternoon. It will have done you good. Now come on, we have a pirate to find."

Flooded with a new found excitement, she jumped up and grabbed her cloak and satchel from the chair. She slipped on her shoes and then turned to Will. "Let's go then."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her from the cabin and up to the deck. "Now Rosalie…this place is very different from Port Royal." He glanced around at all the people rushing about and pulled them over to the side.

Rosalie nodded. "I know."

"I don't think you do," he said at once. He had a very tight grip on her hand. "It is certainly no place for a lady. I want you to stick close by my side. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she answered, wondering what all the fuss was about.

"Turner," said a loud voice from behind them.

The young pair spun around to find the ship owner standing there, clutching a small stack of papers in his hands.

"Are you off then?"

"Yes," replied Will nodding. "We need to find…that friend as soon as possible."

"Right you are lad," smiled the man. "All the best then." He then turned to Rosalie and bowed his head. "You take care miss. Keep your brother in line."

She glanced at Will to find him grinning. She turned back to the man and gave him a small smile. "I will sir."

"Good." He gestured to his pile of papers. "I better get back to work then. I hope you find who you're looking for."

"Thank you," smiled Will. The man nodded his head, smiled and then hurried off towards some of his crew.

Rosalie rounded on her companion. "What was _that _all about? You were acting like the best of friends."

"I talked to him last night. He's not such a bad fellow after all," Will smiled. "In fact he gave me some advice."

"Advice?" she asked, arching an eyebrow. "What about?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about," he said with a chuckle. He glanced around again and then pulled her towards the gangway. "Now let's go."

They disembarked the ship and walked towards the centre of town, Will keeping a tight hold on her hand all the way.

She now understood what he had been going on about.

The town was loud, dirty…and terribly scandalous. There were scantily clad women throwing themselves at drunken men everywhere. "I-I see what you meant," she whispered, taking hold of Will's arm as a passing man sneered at her.

"Remember to stay close," Will muttered, pulling her closer.

He led them to a tavern and they slipped inside. She clutched at his arm, staring around the crowded room. There was hardly room to move and yet more leering men tried to grab her as they meandered through the rickety tables and chairs.

"Can you see Jack?" she asked Will, wondering what type of man this Jack Sparrow was if he frequented places like this.

"No," he admitted.

Disappointment swelled inside her. She had been counting on finding Jack. She had no idea where to start looking for Lily and she had been hoping the pirate would have some enlightening information. "W-What are we going to do now then?"

Will glanced at her and then around the packed tavern once again. "I was _sure_ Jack would be here…" His eyes landed on something over her shoulder and he froze.

Rosalie turned and her eyes landed on a busty blonde woman wearing a very low cut dress. She frowned and turned to face Will again, only to be suddenly dragged towards the woman. "W-Will?"

He held out a hand asking her to wait for a second before marching straight up to the woman. "Scarlett?"

Rosalie started and looked back at him. He knew this woman? He looked like he did because he was smiling at her.

The woman turned and immediately broke into a grin. "Yes, I'm Scarlett. You heard of me boy?"

Rosalie wanted to wipe the silly little smirk straight off the blonde's face.

Scarlett turned to Rosalie and looked her up and down. "The little missy here, not giving you what you want?"

"What? No, no! I'm looking for someone," said Will with a shake of his head. "Have you seen Jack recently?"

Scarlett's eyes narrowed and her smirk vanished. "Sparrow? Oh yes." She sauntered forward and ran a finger down Will's chest, gazing up at him through her eyelashes. "Will you give him a message for me?"

Will's eyes widened and he jumped back pulling Rosalie with him. "Oh no, give him your messages yourself."

"Well, I would," pouted Scarlett. "But he's not here is he? No, he's-"

"So Jack's not here? When did you last see him? Do you know when he will be back?" interrupted Will.

Scarlett frowned. "Back? He's back there with Giselle right now."

"He is?" he asked, his eyes wide. Scarlett nodded and he grabbed Rosalie's arm, pulling her off in the direction the blonde was pointing in.

Rosalie stumbled after him, dodging around the drunks and strumpets, before bumping into his back when he came to an abrupt halt.

Will coughed and said, "Jack?"

Rosalie peered around the side of him to see a handsome man with heavily kohl lined eyes pull away from a dark haired woman. The man looked at Will and then broke into a wide, gold toothed grin. "William!"

He pushed Giselle off his lap - who gave him a glare before stalking off, sulking - and leapt up. "How are ye? How's Elizabeth? Is she here?"

"Err…no…" said Will, feeling very uncomfortable.

"She's not? I thought ye two lovebirds were inseparable?" Jack stopped and narrowed his eyes. "She's not been kidnapped has she? If she has, ye need to start putting her on a leash."

"No Jack, she's not been kidnapped." Will glanced at Rosalie who was looking uncomfortable too. "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"There is?" It was then that Jack spotted Rosalie. His eyes widened and he took a step back. "Lily? What are ye doin' here?"

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A/N: **So…what do you think? Please leave a **review**! 


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **Firstly I want to apologise for not updating for _such_ a long time. The only excuse I can give you is that I started University in September. The workload and moving away from home for the first time made it hard for me to find time to write. I am ever so sorry for keeping you all hanging and I hope I haven't lost all my readers. Anyway…here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter Twenty 

Will looked from Jack to Rosalie and then back to Jack again. "What did you just say?"

Ignoring Will completely, Rosalie pushed around him to stand in front of the dreadlocked pirate. "Do you know Lily?" she asked in a rush, her eyes wide.

"Huh?" said a baffled Jack, his head jerking back and forth between the pair of them. He looked thoroughly bewildered.

Will grasped Rosalie's elbow and tugged her back to his side. "Jack, this is Rosalie Middleton."

"Rosa-…" Jack whispered, looking her up and down. "But she looks jus' like Lily."

Rosalie pulled herself free from Will's grasp. "I have a sister called Lily. Do you know her?"

"Well she's got your eyes…and ye about the same height I'd reckon…but then again I haven't seen her in a while, so I couldn't be positive." The pirate looked her up and down again before making eye contact with her once more. "Maybe if I took a closer look-"

Will frowned and reached for Rosalie's elbow again, pulling her away from the smirking pirate. "Stop that train of thought right there Jack."

Jack glared at Will. "I was just being friendly." He glanced around the crowded tavern again. "Anyway, where is the lovely Miss Swann? Or is it Mrs Turner now?"

"Elizabeth is in Port Royal," said Will, taking hold of Rosalie's hand after feeling her stiffen beside him. "But that is beside the point. We're here to ask for your help. And it seems you might be able to give us some. We're looking for Rosalie's sister, Lily. Do you know where she is?"

Jack looked between Will and Rosalie, a frown marring his rather handsome features. There was something between these two. He could feel it. He vowed to find out what it was later, and while he was at it, what had happened to Lizzy Swann.

He sat back down and lifted his legs up on the low table in front of him. "And so what if I do?"

Rosalie broke free from Will's hold and kneeled down in front of the pirate, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "Mr Sparrow, please, if you know anything of my sister's whereabouts then tell us. I have reason to believe she is in danger and I need…_need _to find her."

"It's _Captain_, love," said Jack, studying his dirt-caked nails.

The table was suddenly kicked out from beneath Jack's legs. He and Rosalie looked up at a red faced Will in shock.

"She asked you a question Jack. Just answer it will you!" said Will, his voice hard.

The pirate slowly got to his feet and brushed himself down. "You've toughened up Turner. I'm glad to see it."

Will's expression didn't change.

Jack sighed and turned to Rosalie who was still kneeling at his feet. She was staring up at the blacksmith, her eyes wide in shock. He coughed and the dark-haired woman returned her attention to him. "I have met Lily Middleton a number of times – in this very tavern in fact."

Rosalie's eyes widened again. "She's been here? You've seen Lily here?"

Jack nodded his head and then smiled lazily. "A pretty little thing she is too." He looked down at Rosalie. "The two of you look remarkably similar you know."

She blushed and Jack noticed Will visibly tense up out the corner of his eye. There is definitely something going on between these two, Jack thought.

Smiling, he held out a hand and after hesitating briefly Rosalie took it. As he pulled her up she stumbled and he caught her against his chest with an arm around her waist. His smirk widened as she blushed more deeply at their close proximity. "In fact if I remember correctly, we were in a very similar position to this."

Will cleared his throat and stepped up beside them. "What was she doing in a place like this?"

"She was with Captain Sterling" said Jack with a shrug. "I just assumed she was his whore." He paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I _do _remember wondering how a man like Blythe Sterling had acquired a beauty like Lily but I was in no position to pick a fight with him. If you have any sense whatsoever then you leave Sterling well alone."

Rosalie's face whitened and she grabbed on to his shirt with one small fist. "What do you mean by that? Who is this Blythe Sterling?"

"He's one of the most ruthless and cruel pirates to sail the seas," Jack answered, pulling his shirt loose and turning to pick up his tankard of rum. "Like I said, you keep well out of his way if you value your health at all."

"W-Why would my sister be with someone like t-that?" asked Rosalie with a furrowed brow. "What could he want with her?"

Jack turned back to her and arched an eyebrow. "What does a man need a whore for?"

Rosalie's eyes widened and she took a step backwards. "Y-You mean my sister-"

"I'm not saying anything. I was obviously very wrong with my first assumption. I had my doubts before but if she's _your_ sister then…well you're no whore are ye?" He looked to Rosalie who looked scandalized, and then glanced at Will and saw that the younger man's face had coloured with undisguised fury. The pirate blanched and turned away quickly. "Like I said, I'm _not_ saying anything."

Will looked like he wanted to throttle Jack, but realising the pirate captain might very well be their only chance of getting some information, Rosalie stepped towards him. "Did you talk to Lily at all?"

He glanced back at her. "Well we've spoken a couple times, but Sterling doesn't let her out of his sight for long, and he doesn't like her talking to anyone else."

Rosalie's eye widened yet again and she grabbed hold of his arm. "You have? What did she say?"

"I can't really remember."

"Which probably means he mistook her for a whore and got slapped," chuckled Will from behind her. He quickly sobered up though because Rosalie shot him an irritated glance.

Jack noticed this and chuckling to himself, he turned and gulped down some more rum. He put the tankard down and turned to face Rosalie. "The first time I met her was about four years ago. We exchanged pleasantries but then Sterling appeared and dragged her away."

Rosalie gasped. "Did you see where they went?"

"Well I followed them of course."

"And where did they go?" asked Rosalie breathlessly.

"They went outside and Sterling started to shout at her. It was something along the lines of 'Ye don't leave my side ever again!' from him and 'Ye can't keep me locked up forever!' from her. It was all rather strange if ye ask me," said Jack stroking his goatee thoughtfully.

"Didn't you go up to them and try to find out what was happening?" asked Rosalie.

"No, of course I didn't! Haven't ye been listening? If ye have any sense at all then ye keep well away from Sterling."

"But-…but-…" she stuttered. "This man could be doing anything to her! Why didn't you step in and-…I don't know, _rescue _her or something?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell, was I going to use as an excuse for butting in on something that was absolutely none of my business?"

"_I don't know! _But you should have done something!" said Rosalie, her tone turning rather hysterical.

Jack was frowning now. "Why should _I _have done something? I didn't know the girl. I wasn't her keeper. I had never seen her before that day! Why should I have done _anything_?"

Rosalie grabbed at his sleeve. "You've just told us – told us that you had your doubts about her being a whore. Didn't you stop and think that there was something wrong with the whole situation? Didn't you want to take a closer look, to put your mind at ease?"

"She wasn't my responsibility!" said Jack. "I wasn't about to put my health on the line for a girl I had exchanged a mere few words with."

"What about the other times then? Didn't you see her again?"

The pirate sighed and picked up his tankard again. "Aye I did see her again. But the situation was exactly the same as the first time. She was dragged away before I could find out any more."

"So…that's it? You said no more than 'good afternoon' to her?" said Rosalie.

Jack paused and glanced at the young woman before him. He hesitated before speaking once more. "The last time I saw her, we spoke a little more. I wanted her to come with me. Sterling was obviously not treating her right and I knew the pirate's reputation. She didn't belong with him and his crew. I told her that I could help her escape."

"And she didn't accept?" said Rosalie disbelievingly.

"No, she didn't," said Jack with a shake of his head. "She told me her place was with Sterling and she couldn't leave."

"You're lying!" said Rosalie, shaking her own head. "My Lily wouldn't have said those things! She would have wanted to get back to her family. She would have jumped at the chance of getting away from that monster."

"Well she did. She thanked me for her concern but told me she was fine. Then Sterling appeared and led her away once again."

"Then you should have gone after them! Or just done _something_! You shouldn't have let that man take her off to…god knows where!" she cried. The full horror of the situation was becoming very clear.

"She's the one who turned down my help. She's the one who went off with Sterling!" Jack turned away and murmured, "And anyway she was just a whore to me."

Time seemed to freeze. The yelling and noise of the tavern's clientele disappeared. Will wasn't sure if Jack had meant for them to hear that last sentence, but he had…and so had Rosalie.

She just stood there, staring at Jack with her arms hanging limply by her sides. Her eyes were wide and glassy with unshed tears. Jack kept his back to her, holding his tankard to his lips but not taking a sip.

As Will watched she turned and their eyes met. A couple of tears spilled over and slid down her cheeks. He went to take a step forwards but before he could get his feet to cooperate she turned and disappeared into the throng.

The silence lifted and suddenly Will's ears were full of the yells and catcalls of the men surrounding him. He stood frozen for a moment but then managed to shake himself into action. Uttering a curse, he followed after her.

She could certainly move fast. She had already pushed through the crowd and stumbled back onto the street. He cursed again and looked around, searching for a flash of her dark blue dress. There she was. She was halfway down the street already. Will followed after her, trying to keep her in sight as wenches in filthy dresses hurried towards him.

"No thanks. I said no!" he told them, pushing them away as they tried to grab at his arms. He looked up again, just in time to see Rosalie disappear around a corner, and with a burst of speed he followed in her wake.

**xxxxxx**

Rosalie swiped at her cheeks as she ran, clutching at her skirts so as not to trip over. She didn't know where she was running to but she'd had to get away from that tavern…away from that horrid pirate.

Why had she thought he would help her? Why had she thought a pirate would offer her anything?

She finally broke free from the narrow streets and looked out to find that she had reached the beach. She slowed to a walk and headed for the stretch of sand, thinking the clean fresh ocean air might help her feel just a little bit better. Once she was a good distance away from the town, she stopped and looked out over the ocean.

What was she going to do now? Where could she go from now? She had been counting on Jack Sparrow's help.

Her thoughts evoked a spiral of emotions; each fighting for dominance over the others. This resulted in a sort of deadening feeling settling over her. She wasn't feeling anything anymore. She felt numb.

"Rosalie!"

She whirled around and her heart leapt as Will came running up to her. She didn't move but just watched him catch up with her.

"Don't listen to him. The man doesn't know what he's talking about half the time," he said as soon as he reached her.

Rosalie smiled weakly. "It's alright Will. I wasn't thinking." She let out a short laugh and swung around to face the ocean again. "I mean, why should Jack have done anything!"

"Nevertheless, he shouldn't have called her such a thing," said Will softly. "He had absolutely no right."

"It might very well be the truth!" she cried, swinging around to face him and staring up at him again.

"Now, I think you know that it can't be." He grabbed her hand and covered it with both of his own. "Deep in your heart."

Rosalie nodded slowly. "It's what I hope."

"Then don't entertain such thoughts for a second longer."

A smile flickered across her face then vanished again. "But that won't bring her back will it? I'm no where nearer to finding out where she is or what has happened to her than I was before. And now we've reached a dead end with our only lead."

"No, we have found out something. We know Lily has been seen with this Blythe Sterling. We know she's visited Tortuga. That's a lot more than we knew before," pointed out Will. He tightened his hold on her hand and gave it a squeeze. "It wasn't completely pointless."

"What shall we do now?" she asked. She stepped closer and looked up at him. Her eyes were wide and fixed entirely on his.

Will almost didn't hear her question. He was too absorbed in her eyes. She seemed to be begging him for answers and he wasn't sure if he could give her any.

It was only the gentle tug on his arm and the softly spoken "Will?" that prodded him into speech.

"W-We'll ask around and see if anyone else around here has any information on this Sterling fellow. Maybe someone else saw him with Lily, or knows of his current whereabouts. Even a little more knowledge on the man himself could come in useful."

"That sounds like a good plan to me," nodded Rosalie.

Will smiled and then looked back towards the town. "But right now I think you should get some sleep. I bet you are exhausted. I'll see if I can get us a couple of rooms for the night."

"A couple?" she asked surprised. She bowed her head and studied their entwined hands. "Don't you think it would be better for us to share a room? I-I mean we aren't likely to find two free rooms at this time of night, are we?"

Will tried not to smirk. "Well yes it will be hard. But I'm sure we will be able to…eventually. Unless…you wouldn't mind sharing a cabin with me again?"

Her head shot up. "No! No, I w-wouldn't mind sharing at all." She felt her cheeks redden as Will's smile widened. "In fact I-I would quite like to."

"I would too," he answered softly, keeping his eyes focussed entirely on hers. "I would like it very much."

Rosalie smiled but it soon faltered when she realised how close they were standing to each other. Their chests were mere inches apart.

Her breath caught in her throat when she looked back up into his eyes. They were even blacker in the dark. She almost shuddered under the intenseness of his gaze.

She had never been looked at by a man like this before. The foreign feelings flooding her body were strange but not unpleasant. If anything, they were quite wonderful.

Will released her hands and slipped his arms around her waist, bringing her even closer. She lifted her hands to clutch at his arms, leaning further into him as his grip around her tightened.

Her senses were on fire. She could almost feel his hands through the material of her dress. Her breathing had turned shallow and her head felt light. She was stunned by how much he affected her.

Will felt her shudder and inwardly smirked; he was pleased he was affecting her as much as she did him.

His gaze moved to her lips. He teetered on the edge of indecision…then his eyelids slowly lowered as he began to lean towards her.

Her softly uttered "Will…" was smothered as their lips met. It was the most exquisite kiss he had ever shared. It was soft, but full of passion at the same time.

Will felt Rosalie sigh and press herself completely to him. Her hands tightened on his arms as she gave herself completely to the kiss.

The worry and stress of their present situation faded into nothingness. Nothing else existed apart from the pair of them. For the moment, Will and Rosalie's world revolved around the taste and feel of each other.

**

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****A/N: **So…did you like it? Please **review! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N:** I know it's been ages again, and I am very sorry! University life is taking it out of me and I'm finding it much harder to find time to write. However I am determined to finish this story so please, if I haven't already lost all my readers, stick with me. I hope you enjoy this chapter, like I enjoyed writing it.

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**Chapter Twenty-one**

Rosalie felt as if she was flying. She was soaring. She was getting higher and higher with each gentle caress of Will's lips against hers.

Will's kisses were every bit as exquisite as she had dreamed they would be. But even in her most vivid of dreams, her imagination hadn't conjured just how he moved from placing several light kisses on her lips to suddenly taking her lips in a much deeper, much more intense kiss. Her imagination hadn't been able to capture just how this sent her whole body up in waves of heat and how she would suddenly feel so weak that she had to clutch at Will's shoulders otherwise she'd sink to her knees in the sand.

Will would repeatedly pull away as if ending the kiss, before surging forward again to take her lips in yet another breath stealing kiss. She didn't know whether to feel pleased or not when he did this. She immediately missed the feel of his lips on hers, but another part of her, the sensible part of her, knew that this couldn't go on forever. They were standing in the middle of a beach, where anyone could happen upon them.

The third time he pulled back she placed her hands on his chest and held him back so he couldn't steal her lips again. She took several deep breaths to try to calm her erratic breathing and looked down as she knew she would lose all resolve if she looked into Will's warm brown eyes again.

"Rosa…" said Will softly, stooping so he could look her in the eye. His own breathing was uneven and he looked rather shaken himself. "I-I'm sorry-"

Rosalie looked up at once. Her eyes were wide and hurt. "Y-You regret it-"

"No! Of course I don't," said Will at once. "I don't regret one second of it. But if you do…?"

"I don't!" said Rosalie. "How could I regret something like that!" She blushed as a slow grin crept across his face.

"I'm glad." Will bent forward as if to kiss her yet again, but she quickly held up her hand, blocking his view of her mouth.

"Oh no, you don't!"

"I-I thought-?" The hurt expression on his face broke her heart so she stepped forward at once and looked earnestly up into his eyes.

"I don't regret it at all." She tried to avoid looking at his mouth, because she knew what would happen if she did. "It's just w-we're on the beach."

Will's heart swelled at the adorable flustered look on her face as she glanced around as if to illustrate her point. He lifted his hands to frame her face and gently turned her head so he could look her in the eye. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that. I don't know what I would do if you regretted the magical moment we just shared." Rosalie's face reddened under his touch and he brushed a few errant hairs off her cheeks. "And as for the beach… well I don't think the people of Tortuga are beach people."

Rosalie giggled and hit Will's shoulder playfully. "This is not a laughing matter Will!"

"I didn't say it was, did I?" He grabbed both of her hands and tugged her closer. He noticed she had smudges of dirt on her face. "In fact, I don't think I've ever been so serious in my life."

She coloured even more and bit her bottom lip. That action nearly made him lose all self control and pull her into another kiss, but he didn't. He gathered all the resolve inside him and let go of her hands. "We should go and find that room."

Rosalie hesitated and then nodded her head.

**xxxxxx**

They found a couple of taverns with vacancies straight away, but neither of them reached Will's standards. When they were leaving the third tavern after turning down another room, Rosalie finally put her foot down.

"There was nothing wrong with that place! It's getting late Will. We need to pick a room or we will end up on the street tonight."

"Didn't you see the state of those places? You're a lady Rosalie. I'm not taking you to a pig sty," said Will, tightening his hold on her hand. He hadn't let it go once since their kiss on the beach.

"I don't mind a bit of dirt, Will," said Rosalie. She looked around at the surrounding taverns and inns. "Anyway, I don't think we will find anything much better in this place."

He looked down at the dark haired woman beside him and sighed. She was wearing one of her least elaborate gowns, but it was obvious from her the way she held herself that she was wealthy. She didn't fit in at all.

He watched as she stared around them and desperately wished that he could take her back home. She deserved pretty dresses and clean sheets, not to be wandering aimlessly amongst drunks and whores.

But this was what she needed to do. She wanted to unravel the mystery of her sister's disappearance, and Will knew that if he tried to take her back to Port Royal she would only go off on her own again. She was determined to do this, and he knew he much preferred her to be wandering the streets with him firmly holding her hand to her being on her own.

He followed the line of her nose down to her lips and gazed at them. And he had to admit that looking after the young woman definitely had its perks.

He lifted the hand that he was holding to his lips and pressed a kiss on the top of her hand, making her look up at him in surprise.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"I just wanted to do it," he replied softly, lowering his arm again. She blushed and he grinned. "Come on then. I think the first tavern was the cleanest."

**xxxxxx**

They went back to the very first tavern that they had gone to and booked themselves into a room. As they were passing through the main room to get to the staircase that led up to the rooms, they heard someone call out.

"Will? Will Turner?"

They both spun around to find a pretty, dark skinned woman lounging in a chair a few feet away. "It is you!" she laughed, jumping up and hurrying over. "I thought it was you. But I thought my eyes must be playin' tricks on me, 'cause the Will Turner I know said he'd never set foot in Tortuga again."

"Anamaria!" laughed Will, recognising the pirate at once. "Fancy seeing you here. How are you?"

Rosalie stared on, through slightly narrowed eyes. Who was this woman? Was she another whore? If so, then why was Will being so friendly with her?

"Oh, I'm good. Jack is working us hard on the Pearl," smiled the ebony haired Anamaria. "I wouldn't change it for the world!"

She noticed the young woman standing just behind Will and inclined her head curiously. "Who's your friend?"

Will pulled Rosalie forward by the hand. "Oh, this is Rosalie. Rosalie, this is Anamaria."

Rosalie nodded her head politely. She hadn't missed the way the other woman's eyes had narrowed at the sight of her and Will's joined hands. "Hello."

"Hullo. You sure aren't from around here are you darlin'," said Anamaria.

Rosalie wasn't sure what to make of her. She didn't appear to be too friendly. "That's because I'm not."

"Oh," said Anamaria. She stared at her for a beat before abruptly turning her attention back to Will. "How's Lizzy?"

Rosalie stiffened and glanced at Will who, she was relieved to see, looked uncomfortable at the direction the conversation had taken. "S-She's well."

"Where is she? Is she waiting outside?"

"Err…" Will wasn't sure what to say. "S-She's not here."

"Not here?" asked Anamaria, frowning. "The last I heard was that you two were getting married. I thought newly-weds were attached by the hip for the first few months. And-" she tilted her head towards Rosalie, "- what's with the tag along?"

Rosalie bristled at this. She thought the other woman to be terribly rude and didn't like her one bit.

"Rosalie's not a tag along," said Will firmly. This made Rosalie felt slightly better. "She's my… friend. We saw Jack earlier. Didn't he mention it?"

Anamaria shrugged. "I haven't seen him all evening. I have to put up with him all the time when we are out at sea, so I take the opportunity to get away when we come ashore."

"Rosalie and I came here to see Jack. We talked to him earlier today." Will pulled Rosalie up beside him. "He knows Rosalie's sister."

"That man just can't help himself. Does the little miss want money?"

Will shook his head. "It's nothing like that. We just want Jack's help."

"Why would Jack help?" asked the brash female pirate.

"Two words Ana. Blythe Sterling."

That last voice hadn't come from any of them. It had come from behind Will and Rosalie. The three of them spun to face the owner of the voice, each having already recognised the drawl of Jack Sparrow.

"Come again."

"Sterling has the little miss's sister," said Jack, slipping past Will and Rosalie to stand in front of his first mate. "Rosalie's sister is Lily."

"Lily? As in your Lily?" asked Ana, her shock obvious in her life.

"She's not _my_ Lily," said Jack, tiredly. "But yes. Can't you see the resemblance?"

Anamaria stared at Rosalie closely. "N-Not really, Jack. But then again, Lily wasn't wearing a dress."

"You didn't see her that first time. The first time I saw her. She looked exactly like Rosalie does now."

Anamaria tilted her head to the side and then to the other. "Take your hair down," she ordered Rosalie suddenly.

Rosalie bristled even more, and opened her mouth to tell the other woman in no uncertain terms that she would not take her hair down, but Will squeezed her hand stopping her in her tracks. She turned to him and he nodded his head before letting go of her hand.

She stared at him for a moment, not quite believing that he was allowing her to be bossed around like this.

"Please, Rosalie."

The pleading look in his eyes was what did it. She was powerless to resist those eyes of his. She slowly nodded her head, letting him know it was _him_ she was doing this for, and then reached up to release her hair, very relieved that she had left her hair pins at home and had simply secured her hair with a pale blue ribbon.

She pulled on the ribbon and her hair fell loose down her back. The effect was almost instantaneous; Anamaria gasped and slapped a hand to her mouth.

"The first time I saw her, I mistook her for Lily," said Jack. "They are, without a doubt, sisters."

Anamaria was staring unabashedly at Rosalie. "It is uncanny!"

"Yes, yes, but the important thing now is that Sterling has her."

"Sterling is completely ruthless. No woman would be safe with him," said Anamaria, shaking her head.

"That's why I need your help Jack! I need to get her away from that man!" said Rosalie, unable to stay quiet any longer. She had been watching, with great interest, the emotions that passed over Jack's face. It had looked for a very brief second that he was pained by Lily's predicament.

"We could really do with your help, Jack. We will go ahead and try and find this Sterling on our own if we have to, but we could really do with your help," said Will, speaking up.

Jack looked shaken by this news. "Sterling won't just hand over the girl."

"That's why we need your help."

Jack was hesitating. He _wanted_ to help. Will and Rosalie had no idea what they were getting themselves in to. They would need a boat and a crew if they wanted any chance of defeating Blythe Sterling.

He glanced at Will. It was clear to him that the girl was important to him, and he did owe the blacksmith his life.

There was something else there too. At one point he had offered to take Lily with him, take her away from Sterling. He knew that the young woman didn't belong with a man like him, and now that he'd met her sister he was even more sure.

"I'll make it worth your while," said Rosalie.

"How?" asked Anamaria.

"You can have my share of the treasure. I don't want anything to do with it," said Rosalie. "I just want my sister back."

Jack could tell that she would do anything to make this wish a reality. His heart softened a little and he met Rosalie's gaze head on. "Okay. I will help you get your sister back."

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**A/N: **There you have it. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think.


	22. Chapter 22

**Diclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean. However I do own Rosalie and anything else you do not recognise.

**A/N: **Remember me? I know it has been a stupidly long time since I last updated this story and I have no excuse apart from losing interest in this story and life getting in the way. I have no idea if people are still interested in reading this but I finally got some inspiration and decided to write another chapter. It was quite lovely to immerse myself in the story again and write about Rosalie and Will. It certainly took me back! I want to thank all my readers, especially the people who reviewed and put this on their alert and favourites lists. You inspired me to write this. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-two**

Rosalie followed after Jack as he swaggered over to a chair and sat down with a great deal of dramatic flair. "So...?" she asked after it became clear that Jack wasn't going to say anything.

The pirate looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "So... what?"

A frown crept back onto her face and she planted her hands on her hips. "What is the plan? What do we do next?"

"We partake in Tortuga's..." Jack eyed the young woman and waved his hands around, "...delights, of course."

Rosalie's frown deepened. "Delights? You want to..." She glanced around and stepped closer to him. "I've just told you my sister could be in very real danger and you want to _fool _around here!"

Jack slid out of his chair, skirting around her. "Ye, little lady, have to learn to let loose more." He moved behind Will and peered at her from over his shoulder. "Ye are too... uptight!"

"Uptight?"exclaimed Rosalie. "You're calling me uptight?" She went to follow him, to scream at him or slap him she hadn't quite decided yet, but Will grabbed her around the waist and held her to him.

"Don't bother," he said to Rosalie, glaring at the smirking pirate. "Jack, I would appreciate it if you could be a little more polite to Rosalie." His words were mild but his expression wasn't.

Jack grunted and slapped him on the back. "I meant the lady no harm."

The woman in Will's arms had calmed down now and had settled back against him, her hands unconsciously clutching at his arm around her waist. "You said you would help us. What do you suggest we do next?" he asked Jack, giving her waist a squeeze.

Jack studied him and then studied his nails. "We do nothin'." He held up a hand to silence Rosalie before she could even fully open her mouth to protest. "Yet. I suggest ye get some sleep and I'll do some diggin'. I'll ask around and see if I can gather any information on Sterling's whereabouts."

"And then we'll go find him?" asked Rosalie. "We will go and save Lily?"

Jack shot her a solemn look. "I said I would help didn't I?"

Rosalie nodded and studied him seriously. "And you'll take us on your boat?"

"Ship!" corrected Jack shooting her a less than amused look. He looked them up and down before studying his nails once again. "Ye two should get some rest. I'll find you in the morning."

"How do we know you won't set sail in the night?" asked a suspicious Rosalie.

Jack gave a great sigh and got to his feet. He meandered over and stooped down so his eyes were on a level with hers. "Ye have my word Miss Middleton. I give ye my promise. A good pirate keeps his word." He raised an eyebrow as if to ask if she understood and she bobbed her head quickly. He smiled and straightened. "Be away with ye! Get some sleep, ye both look like you could sleep in the pig sty."

Will laughed and Rosalie's lips quirked into a smile. "You say the nicest things Jack," said Will.

The pirate shot them an indulgent smile and sank back down onto his chair. His frame sagged and he gave a weary wave. "Go. Oh and Will, I'll want a word with ye in the mornin'."

Will nodded and took Rosalie's hand, readying to lead her back to their room, but Anamaria spoke up and made him pause. "Can the lady swim?"

Rosalie gave a quick shake of her head. "No I do not." She glanced up at Will and then turned back to the other woman. "T-That's not a problem is it?"

Anamaria shot her a look and raised her chin. "Ye will be out at sea soon enough. Ye should know how to keep afloat at least."

Jack nodded in agreement. "Aye ye should. I know of a lagoon not too far away. I'll take ye there in the mornin'." He slanted her a wide grin. "Don't bother gettin' dressed. Ye don't want to be weighed down in the water."

The blacksmith narrowed his eyes at the pirate. "I'll take her Jack. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to go swimming with a man she has only just met."

Jack shrugged and sighed. "Shame."

"Take her to the lagoon Will. Jack will point you in the right direction." Anamaria studied Rosalie closely. "Ye'll have to get used to life at sea."

Rosalie nodded and gave Will a rather abashed smile. He knew she was thinking about the crossing they had just taken and the sea sickness she had suffered. "I'll be fine. I have to be."

The female pirate nodded and waved them away. Will tugged Rosalie towards the stairs and led the way up them, tucking her arm through his and looking the dark haired woman over. "You look dead on your feet. It's no wonder I suppose. You've had quite the day."

Rosalie nodded her head tiredly and smiled up at him. "I dread to think of what would have happened if you hadn't come with me."

"Well don't think," said Will, lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. They reached their room and he opened the door for them. "Go on in."

He trailed after her and slid the latch across. Rosalie wandered over to the bed, trailing her hand across the threadbare blankets.

"This is nothing compared to what I have at home but I suspect this will be the last proper bed we can expect to sleep in for a while," she said looking up at him.

"Oh I don't know," said Will."Maybe Jack has installed luxurious beds in all the cabins." He got the reaction he wanted when she giggled and smiled up at him.

A comfortable silence fell over them and they both turned toward the bed. The bed was a modest size, fractionally bigger than the one on the ship but still small enough that the two of them would definitely be cosy. He glanced down at the woman beside him and the air in the room shifted. He could feel the mood change as he sank into the blue depths of Rosalie's eyes. He was surprised that a single kiss could change things so much.

Rosalie's smile widened and he was powerless to do anything but smile back at her. She looked down at the bed and then back at him. "So... we should probably get some sleep."

"Y-Yes," replied Will, forcing himself to look away and move to the side of the bed. He pulled the blankets back and then hesitated before turning his back on her. "I won't look." He heard her answering giggle and listened to the rustle of her clothing as she undressed. It took a lot of self control to stop himself turning around.

Rosalie stepped out from her dress and draped it across the chest at the bottom of the bed. She clambered into the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chest. "You can look now."

Will turned and she shivered as he looked her over from her blanketed legs to the tops of her chemise clad shoulders. He shot her a warm smile and quickly struggled out of his own shirt and boots. He maintained eye contact as he climbed in next to her, smirking internally when her cheeks reddened.

Rosalie was sure he must be able to hear her heart thumping against her rib cage as he settled beside her. He lay on his side, holding himself up on one elbow so he could study her. His eyes flitted between her eyes and her mouth.

He reached out to trace the line of her jaw and leaned closer so he could press his lips to hers. He kept the kiss brief, pulling away before he was tempted to deepen it. It would be far too easy to roll over and press her into the mattress. "Goodnight Rosalie."

She slid down under the blankets and lay back against the thin pillows. As he settled down, slung an arm around her waist and closed his eyes, she studied his face. Had she done something wrong? He was attentive as always but he was clearly holding himself back. She blushed ferociously as she realised she had wanted the kiss to continue.

Will tucked her against him and kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep."

Rosalie nodded into his chest and pushed her worries to the back of her mind. "Goodnight Will."

**xxxxxx**

"You want me to go completely under?" asked Rosalie. "I-I don't know if I can."

She was submerged in the crystal clear water of the shaded lagoon. The sun was filtering in through the leafy palm trees and reflecting off the surface of the water. She would be quite enthralled by the beauty of the place if she wasn't standing in chest deep water with a half naked Will Turner.

"You can Rosalie," said Will reassuringly. "I'm holding on to you. I promise I won't let you go."

The young woman nodded her head and took several deep breaths. Her hands unconsciously tightened around his and he gripped them harder.

Jack had led them to the lagoon and thankfully left soon after. Will wouldn't have been pleased if the pirate had seen Rosalie in her current state. She was standing there, her thin chemise plastered to her body, clutching onto his hands with a terrified look on her face, and he had never wanted to kiss her more. He rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles and watched as she took a deep steadying breath and locked her eyes onto his. "On the count of three, I want you to sink down under the water. One... two... three!"

Rosalie breathed in deeply and let her legs bend, submerging herself under the water. Will's hands clamped tight around hers and she dunked her head under the surface before propelling herself upwards out of the water. "I-I did it!" she coughed, setting her feet firmly on the sandy pool bottom and beaming at Will.

He beamed right back at her. "I said you would be able to do it didn't I?"

"Y-Yes," she answered, staring down at her toes. "I must say that is the queerest feeling."

Will chuckled and released her hands before moving back away from her. She yelped and tried to reach for him but he was out of her reach. He shook his head and continued to wade out into the pool, stopping when he could only just touch the bottom. "I want you to swim out to me. You're completely safe and I will be right here."

Rosalie shook her head furiously. "I can't swim all the way out there. I won't be able to reach the bottom."

"No, but I'll be right here to catch you," he said softly. "You just have to do what you did before. The only difference is that I won't be holding onto your hands."

She studied the distance between them, trying to work out how many kicks it would take to reach him. She had grown in confidence during the time they had been out here but she was unsure if she was confident enough to swim out into the middle of the pool.

"Rosalie, you can do it," he said, holding out his hands.

She took a steadying breath and ducked down into the water, stretching out her arms in front of her. She looked out across the surface, her gaze settling on Will and staring into his eyes. He smiled reassuringly and she pushed off, kicking clumsily and propelling herself towards him.

Water splashed into her eyes as she closed the distance and reached out for him. With just two more strokes he was in reach and she impelled herself forward so she could latch onto his hands. He pulled her up and she let go of his hands so she could throw her arms around his neck. The momentum pushed her against him and she clung to his shoulders, pressing herself flush against him.

"W-Will... oh my... I really did it," she spluttered. She smiled up at him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her afloat.

"Well done Rosalie," he said quietly. His grin was wide and contagious. She giggled and kicked her legs, staring up into his warm brown eyes. This action only served to push her up against him more and he spread his hands against her back as his legs threatened to give out beneath him. His gaze intensified and her smile wavered, her own gaze moving from his eyes to his mouth.

Rosalie's hair was scraped back from her face and water clung to her long eyelashes. Her waterlogged undergarment had slid off one shoulder exposing pearly skin that was usually hidden from him.

Hearing her breathe in sharply, he looked up into her eyes again, his eyes drifting down to her lips shortly after. Her nails curled into his shoulders as he shifted her in his arms, bringing her closer.

They came together quickly, kissing deeply and passionately. He moved a hand up her back and cupped the nape of her neck, slanting his lips to the right and then to the left. She held him as close as she could, clinging to his embrace.

They were so wrapped up in each other that they didn't hear someone rapidly approaching, crashing through the undergrowth.

"Will...Rosalie...he's here. Sterling is in Tortuga."

* * *

**A/N: **So did it measure up? Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. Thank you for reading!


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